Table 1.
Characteristics of Reviewed Studies.
| Study (country) | Population (N) | Research objectives | Data collection and data sources | Study design | Key findings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bartlett et al. (2005) (Australia) | Females aged 31–49 years (N = 7) | Explore the experience of self-esteem in adult women with ADHD. | Interviews | Grounded theory | ADHD is associated with low self-esteem. |
| Burgess (2000) (United States) | Females aged 18-50 + years (N = 15) | Address specific issues related to ADHD in adult women using the framework of Erikson’s psychosocial stages. | Measures of Psychosocial Development Inventory (MPD) | Quantitative | Psychosocial development may be impacted by ADHD diagnosis. |
| Henry and Jones (2011) (United States) | Females aged 62–91 years (N = 9) | Explore the experiences of women diagnosed with ADHD in older adulthood. | Semi-Structured In-Depth interviews | Qualitative In-depth interviews | Older adult women’s ADHD symptoms impact relationships, self-esteem, and careers. |
| Holthe (2013) (Norway) | Females aged 32–50 years (N = 5) | How women with ADHD diagnosed in adulthood experience stigma. | Semi-Structured In-Depth interviews | Descriptive/phenomenology | ADHD is associated with social, emotional, and psychological difficulties. Stigma makes it hard for women with ADHD to manage symptoms. |
| Lynn (2019) (United States) Pinkhardt et al. (2009) (Germany) | Females aged 32–59 years (N = 14) Females | Functional impairments in women with ADHD. The link between ADHD, depression and smoking. | Semi-Structured interview Literature review | Phenomenology Hypothesis | Women with ADHD internalize the experience of functional impairments resulting in feelings of shame and self-loathing. Early detection and intervention of ADHD in girls could reduce rates of depression and current smoking. |
| Rucklidge (1997) (Canada) | Females aged 24–59 years (N = 117) | Attributional styles and psychosocial functioning in women with adult ADHD. | Interview Questionnaires Insolvable task Block design and vocabulary subtest of WAIS-R | Mixed Methods | Women with ADHD struggle more psychosocially and have more maladaptive attributional styles than women without ADHD. |
| Stenner et al. (2019) (England) | Females diagnosed in adulthood (N = 16) | Explore the relationship between ADHD and identity formation and life stories. | Interviews | Thematic analysis/decomposition | ADHD diagnosis can formulate a new identity and relieve self-consciousness in women. |