Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adults, particularly parents, can significantly impact their daily functioning, leading to struggles with organization, time management, emotional regulation, and fulfilling parenting responsibilities.
These challenges often result in disrupted family dynamics, unmet expectations, and emotional difficulties for both parents and children.
Alvey, H. M., Walters, A. S., & Noll, L. K. (2025). “Mom just forgot me at a gas station”: A qualitative study of parental ADHD in the home. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 47(1), 51–69. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-024-09703-1
Key Points
- Main focus: Exploring the experiences of emerging adults who grew up with a parent diagnosed with ADHD.
- Research aims: To understand how parental ADHD symptoms impact children’s perception of their upbringing and current lives.
- Qualitative approach: Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews.
- Key findings: Participants felt burdened by responsibilities related to their parents’ ADHD, leading to feelings of guilt, resignation, and lasting existential impacts; navigating broken expectations shaped their personal and family views.
- Implications: The findings emphasize family-based education and advocacy in ADHD treatment, highlighting the disorder’s broad family implications.
Rationale
The study addresses a gap concerning how children perceive parental ADHD impacts.
Prior research has primarily focused on adults with ADHD or the effects of parenting children with ADHD, overlooking children’s perspectives.
Despite acknowledging the negative and positive impacts of ADHD parenting, existing qualitative studies lack depth or adequate interpretative clarity.
This study specifically explores how emerging adults retrospectively view parental ADHD, filling a gap in the literature.
Research questions include: How does parental ADHD affect children’s lived experiences, and what are its long-term impacts?
Method
Sample size
16 emerging adults (ages 18-25, mean age 23.13), predominantly White (63%) and female (68%), with representation from multiple U.S. states.
Recruitment context
Participants recruited through Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD), snowball sampling, and targeted social media postings.
Data collection
Semi-structured interviews lasting between 40 to 90 minutes, recorded virtually via Zoom.
Interview questions focused on participants’ lived experiences, perceptions of parental ADHD symptom impacts, and retrospective reflection on their childhood and adolescent experiences.
Interviews were audio- and video-recorded, transcribed verbatim, de-identified using pseudonyms, and checked for accuracy by a secondary author.
Data analysis
Conducted using thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006, 2021), involving initial familiarization with data through multiple readings, iterative coding, memo-writing, and continuous refinement of thematic maps and conceptualizations
Results
Themes identified in this study:
- Burden of Having an ADHD Parent:
- Participants felt a strong sense of responsibility for their parent’s ADHD symptoms.
- Guilt and resignation arose from parents’ symptom management struggles, leading participants to feel perpetually liable for negative outcomes.
- “It helps me to be an even more patient person because that’s someone I care about… And I wanna help her so it teaches me more and more patience every day.” (Rory)
- Existential Impact:
- Participants reported lasting impacts on self-perception and interpersonal relationships.
- Self-worth was negatively affected, illustrated by incidents such as being forgotten by parents.
- “Obviously, it [was] not important for me to be an active participant in a car ride if mom just forgot me at a gas station.” (Participant Jacie)
- Navigating Broken Expectations:
- Children’s expectations regarding parental roles were frequently unmet, resulting in disappointment, embarrassment, and resentment.
- Discovery of differences between their family dynamics and peers’ intensified these feelings.
- Participants eventually took control, redefined relationships, and sought personal growth.
Insight
Highlights novel findings such as children’s internalized guilt and responsibility towards parental ADHD management.
Expands understanding of how parental ADHD deeply affects children’s sense of self, family dynamics, and their future interpersonal relationships.
Extends previous research by revealing more complex, emotionally charged dimensions of parental ADHD impacts, which could inspire future longitudinal studies and inform therapeutic interventions.
Clinical Implications
- Practitioners and policymakers should consider family-wide interventions and education to mitigate negative outcomes related to parental ADHD.
- Recommended strategies include psychoeducation for the entire family unit, increased access to family therapy, and support systems for emerging adults managing these long-term impacts.
- Challenges include potential resistance from parents, limited availability of specialized services, and difficulties in overcoming stigma related to ADHD.
Strengths
This study had several methodological strengths, including:
- Rigorous methodological approach utilizing thematic analysis ensures thorough and accurate interpretation of complex qualitative data.
- Deep engagement from participants provided rich, nuanced data, significantly contributing to the study’s credibility and depth.
- Clarity and coherence in presenting intricate findings enhanced the accessibility and utility of results for various stakeholders.
- Inclusion of participant reflections and powerful quotations provided authenticity and emotional resonance to findings.
Limitations
This study also had several limitations, including:
- The small sample size (n=16) limits generalizability, restricting the broader applicability of findings across diverse populations.
- Potential sampling bias from the recruitment methods may have attracted participants with particularly strong feelings or experiences related to ADHD.
- Retrospective nature of interviews poses potential accuracy issues due to memory bias, influencing the reliability of findings.
- Homogeneity in demographics (predominantly White, female) further limits the generalizability to more diverse populations.
Socratic Questions
- How might the findings differ if parents had received timely ADHD interventions?
- What alternative interpretations could exist regarding children assigning blame to parents versus the disorder?
- How might socio-cultural contexts shape the children’s experiences and perceptions?
- In what ways might these findings shift if parental ADHD was managed differently through policy or community interventions?
- How could the researchers’ positionality influence the interpretation of results?
