Finding True Friendships: The Friendship Experiences of Adolescents With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

The friendship experiences of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were explored in this qualitative study. Nine 16- to 18-year old adolescents with ADHD participated in semi-structured interviews that were analyzed using a modified grounded theory framework. They reported chronic peer rejection, loneliness, and conflictual relationships with friends in childhood and early adolescence (theme 1). Although many participants reported becoming resigned to being friendless in adolescence (theme 2), the transition to high school where they could find peers who were similar to them helped them develop close friendships (theme 3). The core theme, Finding True Friendships: The Long Journey from Isolation to Acceptance, integrates the findings and illustrates the developmental and contextual factors influencing the friendship experiences of adolescents with ADHD. The participants provided specific suggestions about how parents, teachers, peers, and mental health professionals might support children and adolescents with ADHD who struggle with peer relations and friendships that formed the basis of the discussion of the clinical implications of the findings.