DISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIORS FROM RELATIVES ENCOUNTERED BY STIGMATIZED PARENTS OF ADHD: A QUALITATIVE STUDY

Stigma refers to the humiliation and dishonoring of an individual because of the characteristics they possess. Therefore, this study addresses the problems of stigma encountered by Pakistani parents of ADHD children, which is qualitative in nature. The research features a sample of 10 parents with ADHD children aged 7 to 12. Participants were approached through a purposive snowball sampling strategy and data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. The study explains the themes emerging from thematic analysis using NVivo-14 and examines parenting difficulties of parents with diagnosed ADHD and relentless discrimination by relatives. Widespread family blame, lack of understanding, pressure to adapt, impact on sibling relationships, and emotional burden on parents of ADHD children from society, in general, resulted in public and self-stigma. The findings of the current study highlight the importance of arranging education campaigns to promote awareness and knowledge about ADHD, to reduce stigma and to improve child and parent support within the extended family.