A Qualitative Study of Factors Perceived by Parents as Promoting Personal Recovery in Children and Young People with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an inheritable neurodevelopmental condition, often coexisting with other psychiatric conditions and learning difficulties. This exploratory qualitative investigation sought to explore and advance knowledge on mental health recovery–oriented principles and practices for young people and their families. We examined factors identified by parents as promoting and enabling young people living with ADHD to lead an engaged and meaningful life despite experiencing the challenges of their condition. The study was guided by grounded theory with purposeful sampling deployed to recruit 11 parents (8 mothers and 3 fathers) of children with ADHD. Two focus groups adopting a semi-structured interview format were convened to collect data. The interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was employed and focused on the identification and organization of common themes and patterns observed across the dataset. Nine primary themes were identified as captured by the acronym THRIVESSS (Time, Having a plan, Routine and structure, Identity, Valued social supports, Educating and collaborating, Self-awareness, Self-acceptance, and Symptom control) and explicated by 22 subthemes. Results showed that personal recovery for young people with ADHD is a specific and definable construct which offers a conceptual and applied alternative to the deficit-focused view of ADHD. Our findings provide support for the pressing need to develop a novel lexicon to represent a mental health personal recovery pathway specific for young people and their families predicated upon a strength-based foundation.