It’s a Blessing that I Have ADHD: Single Mothers Raising Children with ADHD

Abstract It is estimated that 70% of families in South Africa are headed by single mothers. However, there appears to be limited research exploring how single mothers support their children’s educational and developmental journeys. More specifically, the experiences of mothers diagnosed with adult ADHD, raising a child or children with ADHD are often marginalised and left unheard (Murphy and Barkley in Compr Psychiatry 37:393-401, 1996). This paper reports on a multiple case study of seven South African families. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and reflective essays written by the mothers. The data were analysed by means of thematic content analysis. A bio-ecological framework was used to interpret the findings due to the biological and interpersonal complexities associated with an ADHD diagnosis across the lifespan. The findings revealed that these mothers face a host of daily challenges related to their diagnoses, marital status and the stigma associated with having adult ADHD and raising a child(ren) with ADHD. However, the findings also revealed that mutual empathy, open communication, and a sense of understanding, fostered positive mother–child relationships. As a result, many of the mothers viewed having ADHD as a blessing or benefit to their personal circumstances and their child(ren’s) development. The findings presented here aim to ‘flip’ the deficit narrative of single mother families and highlight the resilience of these mothers in raising their child (ren) with ADHD, while coping with ADHD themselves.