The treatment engagement experiences of adolescents from diverse backgrounds and with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are largely absent from the literature on ADHD. Guided by what research exists on ADHD in adolescence and on how adolescents engage with ADHD care, the present study explored what factors and experiences adolescents in treatment for ADHD at an urban safety-net hospital in Boston perceived as affecting their engagement with care. As part of the larger study, Assessing Preferences for and Barriers to ADHD Treatment Among Diverse Families, a cross-case, secondary analysis of eleven interviews with adolescents from underserved and minority families was conducted. Thematic analysis delineated by Braun and Clarke (2006) revealed that "engagement in care," as it is traditionally defined in the literature, ought to be redefined to incorporate the unique life circumstances and self-esteem and insight levels of adolescents. Four styles of engagementproactive, anxious, apathetic and actively rejecting engagementwere identified and their clinical implications were discussed. These findings confirm the importance of treating adolescents as a population with unique clinical needs and invite future researchers to investigate how to optimally transition adolescents with ADHD into adult care.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.