Background: ADHD is a neurodevelopment disorder with three
core symptoms–inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity–that affect both
cognitive and behavioral functioning in academic, social and family contexts.
ADHD places a heavy burden on the child, the family, and the other care givers.
Significance understanding the experience of primary caregivers raising
school-aged children
diagnosed with ADHD would provide additional information from which to create
effective interventions.
Purpose: to investigate and describe the experience of the adults that interact
on a daily basis with school-aged children with ADHD, who are mothers and
teachers. And to understand management practices that are used by mothers and
teachers to deal with the most prominent signs of ADHD in order to formulate a
care plan.
Method : A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was used. Purposive
sampling, four children diagnosed with ADHD were selected. The sample was four
mothers and 12 teachers (3 teachers for each child). Data collection was
conducted through in-depth, face-to-face interviews recorded on audiotape and
field notes. Each interview lasted about 1 hour. The unstructured interview
guide allowed large health care providers to talk about their experiences of
raising school-age children with ADHD. Data analyzed by Giorgi phenomenological
psychology approach.
Results: Three major themes emerged from the mothers’ interviews: (1) the
burden of caring (2) inadequate support (3) disturbances of the child's
behavior. Five major themes emerged from the teachers´ interviews: (1) lack of
information (2) child´s behaviors disruptive (3) the lack of resources (4) lack
of support (5) the burden of having the child in the class
Conclusion There were clear defects in the knowledge, understanding, services
provided for the children, and available support for the care givers. Improving
services in terms of family and school care should be a major concern.
Relevance to clinical practice:The recommendations made on the basis of the
results can be used as a guide to improve the delivery of care services for
children with ADHD.
Key words: ADHD; experience; descriptive phenomenology; primary care givers;
children.