Nel, C.Mamontov, Antonina2024-11-062024-11-062023http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12800Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc.(Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2023𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗢𝗻𝗲 The first section of the dissertation presents an integrated background and overview of the research. This section comprises existing literature and theoretical concepts that apply to the second and third sections of the study. The aim and methodology sections will be presented that outline the methodological procedures utilised in both articles, which will be presented in the third and second sections of the study, respectively. 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an example of a neurodevelopmental disorder which is typically diagnosed at a school-going age (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2022; D’Souza & Karminiloff-Smith, 2016). Other examples of neurodevelopmental disorders include autism spectrum disorder (ASD), communication disorders, and intellectual disability. The aetiology of ADHD is an intersection between polygenetic and environmental factors (APA, 2022; Jendreizik et al., 2023). Three presentations of ADHD have been acknowledged (APA, 2022), including a primarily inattentive presentation (associated with distractibility, difficulty sustaining tasks and difficulty concentrating), a primarily hyperactive and impulsive presentation (associated with increased movement, fidgeting, restlessness, interrupting, and finding it difficult to wait turns), as well as a combined presentation in which both hyperactive and inattentive features are present (APA, 2022; Felt et al., 2014). All the presentation types have underlying deficits in executive functioning tasks such as planning, organising and time management (APA, 2022; Sudre et al., 2021). In neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and ASD, difficulties with executive functioning can limit psychological flexibility and effective emotional regulation (Cai et al., 2018; Shaffer et al., 2023). To be diagnosed with ADHD, the associated symptoms must impair general functioning in multiple domains, such as occupational, academic, social, and familial domains and must be considered developmentally inappropriate (APA, 2022; Faraone et al., 2019). ADHD has also specifically been associated with emotional difficulties, such as deficits in regulating emotions, emotional impulsivity, and inadequate social cognition (APA, 2022; Faraone et al., 2019; Tarle et al., 2021). The severity of an adolescent’s ADHD can influence the extent to which certain symptoms or impairments present (Woods et al., 2021). Emotional regulation is the ability to alter or sustain the type, trajectory, intensity, and appropriateness of one’s emotions (Ford & Gross, 2019). This may require specific executive functioning tasks related to emotional evaluation, which can be impaired in individuals with ADHD (Christiansen et al., 2019). Young adolescents diagnosed with ADHD might have specific difficulties with impulsivity and sensitivity to criticism (Christiansen et al., 2019) and are at risk of experiencing social impairment and high-risk behaviours resulting from emotional dysregulation (Bunford et al., 2015). Despite emotional regulation difficulties being evident in both comorbid and non-comorbid cases and findings in support of an emotional subtype of ADHD in adults, emotional regulation difficulty is not included as a formal diagnostic criterion of ADHD (Faraone et al., 2019). Further research is still required to understand the adolescent’s experience of emotional impulsivity and emotional dysregulation in the specific context of ADHD. Their direct accounts in the form of a narrative description of their lived experiences of the impact of ADHD on their emotional regulation could deepen such an understanding. Additionally, ADHD diagnosis impacts the entire familial social microsystem (Bhide et al., 2019). Parental behaviours and parental involvement may be influenced by the child’s emotional difficulties (Martin et al., 2019). Therefore, a direct account of the adolescent’s parental caregivers (either biological and/or legal) could be important in understanding the emotional regulation challenges experienced by adolescents with the diagnosis. Moreover, South African data on the lived experiences of those with ADHD, and all the more those of their caregivers, is sorely lacking in the current body of ADHD research.enDissertationUniversity of the Free State