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Published on: June 12, 2020
Living with a child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review
Britt Laugesen1, Marlene Briciet Lauritsen, Rikke Jørgensen
11Clinic for Woman and Child Diseases and Urology, Aalborg University Hospital2Research Unit for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Aalborg Psychiatric Hospital3Unit for Psychiatric Research, Aalborg Psychiatric Hospital4Clinical Nursing Research Unit, Aalborg University Hospital, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark5School of Nursing, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.
Insights
Parenting a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) involves navigating complex emotions, advocating within systems, and managing daily life. Parents experience a mix of challenges and resilience, adapting to their child's condition.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Family Studies
Background:
- Parenting a child diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) presents unique challenges.
- Understanding parental experiences is crucial for developing effective support systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize qualitative evidence on the parenting experiences of children with ADHD.
- To explore parents' interactions with healthcare and other services.
Main Methods:
- A meta-synthesis of qualitative research following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines.
- Utilized a meta-aggregative approach with the JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument.
- Extensive literature search across scientific databases.
Main Results:
- Synthesized findings from 21 qualitative studies, aggregating 129 findings into 15 categories.
- Identified key themes: emotional fluctuations, maternal advocacy, blame and stigma, service navigation, daily life strategies, and overall resilience.
- Parents experience a spectrum of emotions, systemic challenges, and adaptive strategies.
Conclusions:
- Parental experiences with ADHD are multifaceted, influenced by guilt, hope, blame, stigma, exhaustion, and professional collaboration.
- ADHD significantly impacts family dynamics and daily routines.
- Parents demonstrate adaptive coping mechanisms and acceptance in response to their child's diagnosis.
Aim:
This systematic review is aimed to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on parenting experiences of living with a child with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, including their experiences of healthcare and other services.
Methods:
A meta-synthesis was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines. Qualitative research articles were considered for inclusion in the review and the meta-aggregative approach to synthesizing qualitative evidence from JBI was followed. An extensive search for relevant literature was undertaken in scientific databases. Data were extracted from the included research articles, and qualitative research findings were pooled using the Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. This involved categorization of findings on the basis of similarity of meaning and aggregation of these categories to produce a comprehensive set of synthesized findings.
Results:
A total of 21 research articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The review process resulted in 129 study findings that were aggregated into 15 categories. The categories generated six synthesized findings: an emotional roller coaster between hope and hopelessness; mothers as advocates in a battlefield within the system and family; parental experiences in a crossfire of blame, self-blame, and stigmatization; shuttling between supportive and nonsupportive services and professionals; routines, structures and strategies within everyday life; and despite multiple challenges, it is not all bad.
Conclusion:
The findings illustrate the complexity of parental experiences that are influenced by guilt, hope, blame, stigmatization, exhaustion, reconciliation, and professional collaboration. The findings address the impact that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder has on everyday family life, and how parents seem to adapt to their life situation in the process of accepting their child's disorder.
