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Q What are the experiences of children and adolescents living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
DESIGN
Qualitative study.
SETTING
Portland, Oregon and San Diego, California, USA.
PATIENTS
39 children and adolescents with ADHD (age range 6–17 y; 67% boys; 38% African-American, 33% Hispanic, and 23% Caucasian) were recruited through advertisements and visits to ethnically diverse clinics, schools, and cultural support agencies.
METHODS
Children participated in indepth, semistructured interviews of 15–45 minutes. Observations of family relational patterns and environments were documented in field notes or as family portraits. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using constant comparative analysis.
MAIN FINDINGS
6 themes were identified. (1) Problems. Most children reported everyday problems that got them “into trouble.” They identified learning and cognition problems such as their “slower” rate of learning, feeling constantly distracted and confused about what was said to them, and being bored. Participants also identified behaviourproblems in terms …
Footnotes
For correspondence: Dr J Kendall, School of Nursing, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA. kendaljuohsu.edu
Source of funding: in part, National Institute of Nursing Research.