Abstract

Why do boys more often suffer more from early onset neurodevelopmental and behavioural problems, and girls from adolescent onset emotional disorders? The prevailing view is that this is because boys are exposed to more early risks and girls to later ones, and not because the risks or mechanisms are different across the sexes. Many animal and human studies point in a different direction, and so do evolutionary hypotheses. I will discuss how the ‘Sex Biased Parental Investment’ and the ‘Predictive Adaptive Response’ hypotheses jointly imply very different mechanisms in males and females, and illustrate with recent findings from our longitudinal study. I will bring out the clinical and NHS planning implications if these results are robust. If there is time I will briefly outline my domains theory of social interactions, with its evolutionary origins, and therapeutic implications. Please register to attend: eventbrite