Divergent Perceptions of ADHD among Diagnosed Adolescents and Their Parents: An Exploratory Study

Abstract Differences in the perceptions of illness between patients and caregivers are associated with negative health-related outcomes. However, little is known about the correlates of divergent perceptions of ADHD among diagnosed adolescents and their parents. This study applied the Common-Sense Model of Illness Representations (CSM) to examine how parent perceptions of ADHD, including divergent parent-adolescent perceptions, relate to coping, quality of life (QoL), and treatment adherence, among adolescents with ADHD. Participants were 63 adolescents diagnosed with ADHD (10–18 years, 79.3% male, mean age = 14.28, SD = 2.07) and their parents (78.8% mothers), recruited from clinics and support services. Self-report measures were completed by adolescents and parents in isolation from one another. Results from a series of hierarchical regressions indicated that adolescents held less pessimistic views of the disorder and believed it was less biologically based than did parents. Divergent parent-adolescent perceptions regarding timeline and causes were significantly related to adolescent coping and QoL. Adolescents’ expectation of a shorter duration of ADHD was associated with reduced active coping. Their stronger attribution to insufficient efforts was associated with lower QoL. Although adolescents with a stronger belief in psychosocial causes exhibited poorer active coping and QoL, they exhibited greater active coping when their parents endorsed this belief. Taken together, these findings identify beneficial and detrimental beliefs about ADHD for both diagnosed adolescents and their parents. The results underscore the potential importance of beliefs about psychosocial causes to coping and well-being, as well as the importance of divergent parent-adolescent perceptions.