A selection from Stockholm University publication database

• Living with ADHD

  2019. Noam Ringer. International journal of disability, development and education

  Article

  ADHD is a disability characterised by hyperactivity, impulsivity and difficulties maintaining attention. Despite extensive research on ADHD, the effects of existing treatments are moderate and inconsistent. Knowledge regarding children’s and adolescents’ everyday experiences of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and their understanding of these experiences is valuable for the further development of interventions. The aim of the following study was to systematically search for and review qualitative research on children’s and adolescents’ everyday experiences and understanding of their ADHD, and to suggest an integrative synthesis of the results. In total, 16 published and unpublished qualitative studies on the subject were identified. The analysis identified four categories: (1) experiences related to one’s body and psychological abilities: lack of control, having difficulties, and the biological determination of these experiences; (2) ambivalent experiences related to one’s own psychological needs: a need to adjust oneself and a need to be accepted as ‘who I am’; (3) ambivalent experience related to social others: demands and expectations are a problem, experiencing lack of belonging and stigma, but also receiving help from close social others; and (4) experiences related to the formation of personal identity. Erikson’s psychosocial theory of personal identity is suggested for an understanding of the results.

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• Managing children with challenging behaviours. Parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their children’s ADHD diagnosis

  2019. Noam Ringer (et al.). International journal of disability, development and education

  Article

  This study investigates parents’ lived experiences of having a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The aim was to explore parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their children’s ADHD with a focus on understanding the impact that receiving a diagnosis had on the parents’ perceptions of, and ways of managing, their children’s challenging behaviours. Drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 parents, we carried out a content analysis of the parents’ accounts, producing a range of categories describing different aspects of the parents’ meaning-making processes in relation to their child receiving an ADHD diagnosis. Five conceptual categories were identified, describing components of a process of adaptation through which the parents – using the diagnosis as a tool – were able to transform feelings of distress over their difficulties in managing their child’s challenging behaviours into feelings of being able to cope with these challenges of integrating the ADHD diagnosis into everyday family life. This research suggests that understanding the long-term processes involved in parents’ meaning-making of an ADHD diagnosis is important and can open up a pathway to developing initiatives to support parents in dealing with their child’s challenging behaviours in everyday life.

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• Young people’s perceptions of and coping with their ADHD symptoms

  2019. Noam Ringer. Cogent Social Sciences

  Article

  Purpose. This study aimed to explore how young people with ADHD perceive and cope with their ADHD symptoms in the context of their everyday life. The research also explores relationships between types of perceptions and types of coping. Method. A qualitative, inductive approach using individual semi-structured interviews to elicit and analyse young people’s perceptions of and coping with their ADHD symptoms. Results. Analysis of interviews with 14 young people has shown a variety of perceptions regarding the mechanism behind the ADHD symptoms. Three types of perceived reasons for the ADHD symptoms were found: because there is something wrong with me, because there is a mismatch between me and the environment, because this is my personality. Variation was also found regarding the perceived threat of the symptoms. The results identified three ways of coping with symptoms: following the symptoms, changing the environment, controlling oneself. A possible relationship between type of perception and type of coping was identified. Conclusion. Young people with ADHD perceive and cope with their symptoms in various ways. Perceptions of and coping with ADHD may relate to each other. This study highlights the importance of identifying young people’s perceptions of their ADHD in order to understand their attempts to cope with it.

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Show all publications by Noam Ringer at Stockholm University