Why are females less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD in childhood than males?
Open accessAbstract
ADHD is less likely to be diagnosed in females than males, especially in childhood. Females also typically receive the diagnosis later than males and are less likely to be prescribed ADHD medication. Understanding why these sex differences in clinical care and treatment for ADHD occur is key to improving timely diagnosis in people affected by ADHD. This Personal View is a conceptual review synthesising literature on this topic. This publication considers potential biological explanations (eg, genetic factors), influence of diagnostic practices (eg, criteria suitability, diagnostic overshadowing, and sex-specific diagnostic thresholds), and sociocultural explanations (eg, sex differences in presentation and compensatory behaviours), for the observed sex differences in ADHD clinical practice. This Personal View also outlines future research directions for improving understanding of sex differences in recognition and diagnosis of ADHD.
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ADHD is diagnosed at a higher rate in boys than girls during childhood.
“Relatedly, ADHD is diagnosed at a higher rate in boys than girls during childhood, for several possible reasons including diagnostic practices and sociocultural expectations (Martin 2024; Martin et al. 2024).”
From “I Felt Like a Burden”: An Exploration Into the Experience of Romantic Relationships for People With ADHD (2026) · cites this paper as Martin 2024
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“Relatedly, ADHD is diagnosed at a higher rate in boys than girls during childhood, for several possible reasons including diagnostic practices and sociocultural expectations (Martin 2024; Martin et al. 2024).”
Sweiss, E. C., Vargas, V., Sandman, C., Poggi Davis, E., Hankin, B. L., & Glynn, L. M. (2026) · Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease · doi:10.1017/s2040174426100622
- Authors
- Martin, J.
- Affiliations
- Cardiff University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Martin, Joanna
- ORCID
- Martin, Joanna
- Venue
- The Lancet Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2024-04
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 303-310
- ISSN
- 2215-0366 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4391618429
- Cited by
- 200
- References
- 13
- Citations by year
- 2026: 133 · 2025: 55 · 2024: 12
- FWCI
- 16.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- The Lancet Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Health and Care Research Wales
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Sex and Gender in Healthcare
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sex differences, childhood ADHD, diagnostic overshadowing, diagnostic criteria, compensatory behavior, genetic factors, sociocultural factors
- MeSH terms
- Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, Female, Humans, Male, Sex Factors
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