Does the prevalence of CD and ODD vary across cultures?

Purpose: The worldwide prevalence of conduct disorder (CD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) is presented to examine the first of four criteria used in other studies to determine the validity of psychiatric disorders across cultures.

Methods: The authors searched Medline and PsycINFO from 1987 to 2008. Studies were included if they were representative of specific communities or countries and reported point prevalence of CD or ODD according to DSM-III-R or DSM-IV criteria for children 18 years or younger.

Results: Only methodological and not geographic factors were associated with variability of the prevalence estimates.

Conclusions: The results are discussed in terms of their significance for the classification of disorders and the need for further research to establish the validity of these two disorders across cultures.