[Prevalence of dissocial conduct disorder in adolescents using an epidemiological diagnostic questionnaire]

Prevalence of Conduct Disorder has been calculated between 4 to 10%.

To estimate the prevalence CD in Colombian adolescents, using a rating scale by self report.

190 male adolescents from secondary school population, 12 to 16 year-old, were stratified and selected in a randomizing procedure, from Medellín, Colombia. A checklist including 14 diagnostic symptoms taken from the DSM-IV Criterion A for CD was constructed, with a scale of 0 = never to 3 = almost always (Reliability alpha coefficient: 0.86). Prevalences were calculated as follow: (1) codifying as 'Probable TDC' a T score over 60; (2) codifying as Adolescent Antisocial Behavior (AAB) having three or more answers qualified with 1 or more points, and (3) codifying as CD obtaining three or more answers qualified with 2 or 3 points.

The most prevalent CD symptoms were 'staying out at night before 13 year-old' (10.5%), 'having been cruel to animals' (8.4%), 'having been cruel to people' (7.4%), 'having broken into someone else's house or car' (7.3%), and 'using weapon or other objects that can cause serious physical harm to others' (6.9%). The prevalence of 'Probable CD' was 13.7%; prevalence of AAB was 56.8% and prevalence of CD was 8.4%. It was not found significant differences between socioeconomic strata.

The prevalence of CD in the studied sample was 8.4%, independent of the socioeconomic strata.