Machine learning reveals sex differences in distinguishing between conduct-disordered and neurotypical youth based on emotion processing dysfunction.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Theoretical models of conduct disorder (CD) highlight that deficits in emotion recognition, learning, and regulation play a pivotal role in CD etiology. With CD being more prevalent in boys than girls, various theories aim to explain this sex difference. The "differential threshold" hypothesis suggests greater emotion dysfunction in conduct-disordered girls than boys, but previous research using conventional statistical analyses has failed to support this hypothesis. Here, we used novel analytic techniques such as machine learning (ML) to uncover potentially sex-specific differences in emotion dysfunction among girls and boys with CD compared to their neurotypical peers.

Methods

Multi-site data from 542 youth with CD and 710 neurotypical controls (64% girls, 9-18

SUBMITTER: Kohls G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11800453 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature