Project overview
ADHD in girls and women is an area of little research, especially regarding centring girls and women’s voices, and ADHD is often misunderstood in girls and women. This can lead to later diagnosis or misdiagnosis and negatively impact individuals’ wellbeing and educational outcomes. Given the limited research and frequent misunderstanding of ADHD presentation in women and girls, this thesis aims to support professionals to better understand ADHD in girls and women in the hopes of providing more appropriate and meaningful support to these individuals.
This thesis is divided into two papers. The first paper is a systematic literature review. This paper aims to synthesise research that explores the interaction between ADHD and menstruation to answer the following research question: “What is the relationship between menstruation and ADHD symptoms?” Five databases were searched, and 12 papers were included in the Narrative Synthesis. The findings from this systematic review suggest there is emerging evidence of changes in ADHD traits across the menstrual cycle. Specifically, during the menstrual phase, there is evidence that individuals with ADHD experience increased menstrual-related pain, difficulties regulating their emotions, and an increase in executive functioning and inattention. Medication can become less effective during the luteal and menstruation phase and individuals may experience more difficulties with executive functioning and emotional regulation during the luteal phase. Evidence for follicular and ovulation phase changes is limited.
The final paper is an empirical research paper that aimed to understand the educational experiences of girls with ADHD and what has helped and hindered their access to and engagement in education. Twenty girls aged 11-19 years old were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Reflective Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the interviews and identify shared experiences and themes across participants. Five main themes were developed: ‘Understanding opens the door to support’, ‘The person-environment fit is key, but rarely consistent’, ‘Power can be used or abused to support girls with ADHD’, ‘ADHD is both enabling and disabling’ and ‘Relationships are foundational to positive educational experiences’. These findings contribute to a sparse body of literature exploring girls' experiences of education, and include important implications for providing better, more inclusive support for girls with ADHD in the UK education system.
This thesis is divided into two papers. The first paper is a systematic literature review. This paper aims to synthesise research that explores the interaction between ADHD and menstruation to answer the following research question: “What is the relationship between menstruation and ADHD symptoms?” Five databases were searched, and 12 papers were included in the Narrative Synthesis. The findings from this systematic review suggest there is emerging evidence of changes in ADHD traits across the menstrual cycle. Specifically, during the menstrual phase, there is evidence that individuals with ADHD experience increased menstrual-related pain, difficulties regulating their emotions, and an increase in executive functioning and inattention. Medication can become less effective during the luteal and menstruation phase and individuals may experience more difficulties with executive functioning and emotional regulation during the luteal phase. Evidence for follicular and ovulation phase changes is limited.
The final paper is an empirical research paper that aimed to understand the educational experiences of girls with ADHD and what has helped and hindered their access to and engagement in education. Twenty girls aged 11-19 years old were interviewed using semi-structured interviews. Reflective Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the interviews and identify shared experiences and themes across participants. Five main themes were developed: ‘Understanding opens the door to support’, ‘The person-environment fit is key, but rarely consistent’, ‘Power can be used or abused to support girls with ADHD’, ‘ADHD is both enabling and disabling’ and ‘Relationships are foundational to positive educational experiences’. These findings contribute to a sparse body of literature exploring girls' experiences of education, and include important implications for providing better, more inclusive support for girls with ADHD in the UK education system.