What Are the Experiences of Adults With ADHD of Engaging in ADHD Medication Treatment? A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography

Summary & key facts

The review found that adults generally felt ADHD medications reduced their ADHD symptoms. But experiences differed a lot because of social, psychological, and physical side effects. People talked about taking medicines in the context of “fitting in” at school, work, and with family and friends. That idea of fitting in could make people stick with medication or make them stop. The review also noted stigma around ADHD and used a weighted synthesis method that both limited and strengthened findings. When seen through the Health Belief Model, the authors say four themes could act as triggers for whether people follow medication plans.

Key facts:

• Adults in the review consistently reported that ADHD medications reduced their ADHD symptoms.
• Participants described side effects that were social, psychological, and physical, and these side effects made individual experiences of medication very different.
• All participants talked about medication use in terms of “fitting in” with society, such as performing at school, work, and meeting family or friendship obligations.
• “Fitting in” could lead some people to take medication and lead others to avoid or stop medication, so it acted as both a motivator and a deterrent for adherence.
• The review highlighted societal perceptions and stigma about ADHD and ADHD medications as important factors shaping people’s experiences and decisions about medication.
• The authors identified four themes in the findings and said, when viewed through the Health Belief Model, these themes could be seen as stimuli (triggers) for adherence behavior.
• A noted methodological limitation was the review’s use of a weighted synthesis approach, which prevented themes being generated from lower-quality or less-relevant studies; the authors also said this approach could be seen as a strength.

Abstract

Adults consistently found ADHD medications to be effective at reducing symptoms of ADHD, but their experience of taking the medications varied greatly due to the range of social, psychological, and physical side effects that could occur. All participants spoke about their experiences of taking ADHD medications in the context of "fitting in" with society: Being able to perform academically and in the workplace, as well as being able to meet familial and friendship obligations. However, "fitting in" could be both a motivation for adherence and non-adherence to medication. Societal perceptions and stigma around ADHD and ADHD medications was also discussed as important context regarding "fitting in" and medication adherence. When the results were viewed through the lens of the Health Belief Model, it was highlighted that the four themes identified could be considered stimuli for adherence behavior. A potential methodical limitation of the review was the weighted synthesis approach, which prevented themes being generated from lower quality, less relevant studies. However this approach could also be considered a strength.

Topics

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Categories

Health Sciences Medicine Psychiatry and Mental health

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