The Life Journey of Mothers of Children Diagnosed with ADHD - A Generic Qualitative Research Approach -

Objective: This study aimed to explore the lived experiences and meanings of mothers raising children diagnosed with ADHD. Methods: Participants included four mothers who had undergone long-term multidisciplinary team therapies for their children's ADHD. Following a Generic Qualitative Research (GQI) approach, in-depth interviews were conducted, and data were analyzed using sequence analysis and narrative inquiry strategies. Having divided the setting where the participants' experiences unfold into therapy systems, family systems, and school/community systems, the authors described the main interaction patterns for each system and for each participant, leading to the extraction of threads. Results: The personal experiences and meanings of the participants emerged within the relational contexts of various systems, with themes identified as “being objects of therapy to collaborative relationships”, “journeys of restructuring family systems”, “balance points with school/community systems”, and “move as self-generating and self-correcting organisms”. Conclusions: The study highlighted the importance of emphasizing the journey of life for children and families with neurodevelopmental disorders such as ADHD and provided implications for service development based on a systemic perspective.