[Prevalence and characteristics of externalizing symptoms in childhood. Gender differences]

This report shows the characteristics of the empirical type externalizing syndromes, and the diagnostic prevalence rates in a clinic pediatric sample. The instrument used was the Clinical Child Inventory (ICI) that is based on the second part of the Child Behavior Checklist, to assess behavior and emotions. It was carried out by 300 subjects (males and females, aged 6 to 12 of the Clinical Child Psychology Unit of University Hospital of Murcia, from the consultation pediatric hospital. By conducing factor analysis, three externalizing syndromes that are equal to three disruptive behavior disorders were found: dissocial, oppositional defiant and Attention-deficit/hyperactivity. It has been obtained different prevalences estimated from punctuation obtained from our sample (18.1; 18.5 and 14.5 respectively); and the score equal to 98 percentile of CBCL (44%; 28.3% y 40.6%). The results indicate that there are not differences between boys and girls in dissocial disorders; while the oppositional defiant disorder is more prevalent in boys than in girls. About Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, it was found that is more prevalent in boys than in girls using CBCL (49.3% and 34.3%), and more prevalent in girls than in boys using empirical syndrome obtained in this clinic sample (19.8% girls, 12.2% boys).