User:Howellm910/sandbox

Gender differences
The majority of research on conduct disorder suggests that there are a significantly greater number of males than females with the diagnosis, with some reports demonstrating a threefold to fourfold difference in prevalence. However, this difference may be somewhat biased by the diagnostic criteria which focus on more overt behaviors, such as aggression and fighting, which are more often exhibited by males. Females are more likely to be characterized by covert behaviors, such as stealing or running away. Moreover, conduct disorder in females is linked to several negative outcomes, such as antisocial personality disorder and early pregnancy, suggesting that sex differences in disruptive behaviors need to be more fully understood.

Males and females with conduct disorder often differ in their presentation of symptoms. The symptoms of conduct disorder can be described as either overt or covert. Overt symptoms refer to observable and confrontational antisocial acts, particularly acts of physical aggression. Some examples of overt aggression are robbery, bullying, or physical assault. Males tend to show mostly overt symptoms of conduct disorder. Covert symptoms refer to secretive antisocial behaviors that usually do not involve physical aggression. Examples of covert symptoms are burglary, breaking and entering, lying, stealing, skipping school, and running away from home. Females are more likely to show covert symptoms.

Reactive & Proactive Agression
There are two types of overt aggression: reactive and proactive. Reactive aggression refers to engaging in physical violence in response to a threat or provocation. This usually occurs in children who are not considering an alternative reaction and instead, act impulsively in response to their anger. Reactive aggression is often seen in children with comorbid ADHD and/or children who have difficulty controlling their emotions and their impulses. Proactive aggression refers to deliberate engagement in an aggressive act in order to obtain a desired goal. For example, a child may show proactive aggression when bullying to obtain money or a toy from another child.