‘Pursuit of happiness and success’: a narrative inquiry into a woman's university journey following a late ADHD diagnosis

This study employs a narrative research approach to explore the higher education experiences of a female college student with ADHD who received a late diagnosis. Four semi-structured interviews were conducted with a 40-year-old married mother of two, selected through extreme case sampling, who returned to undergraduate education at a university in Turkey. Data were analysed using a combined holistic-content and thematic narrative approach. Findings are organised around four themes: living with undiagnosed ADHD, receiving a late diagnosis and reconstructing identity, pursuing higher education as a deferred dream, and navigating academic and social expectations. Before diagnosis, her difficulties were largely invisible at the institutional level and often interpreted as misbehaviour. Rather than accepting these challenges as failure, she persisted in pursuing her goals. The diagnosis enabled a reinterpretation of past experiences and a reconstruction of identity, supported by masking strategies at both social and personal levels. The study also reveals barriers arising from neurodiversity-insensitive teaching practices and limited access to institutional support. Findings suggest that for women with late-diagnosed ADHD, identity reconstruction involves both neurodevelopmental and gendered dimensions, offering insights for neurodiversity-sensitive practices in higher education.