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This study investigates parents' lived experiences of having a child diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The aim was to explore parents' meaning-making processes in relation to their children's ADHD with a focus on understanding the impact that receiving a diagnosis had on the parents' perceptions of, and ways of managing, their children's challenging behaviours. Drawing on data collected through semi-structured interviews with 12 parents, we carried out a content analysis of the parents' accounts, producing a range of categories describing different aspects of the parents' meaning-making processes in relation to their child receiving an ADHD diagnosis. Five conceptual categories were identified, describing components of a process of adaptation through which the parentsusing the diagnosis as a toolwere able to transform feelings of distress over their difficulties in managing their child's challenging behaviours into feelings of being able to cope with these challenges of integrating the ADHD diagnosis into everyday family life. This research suggests that understanding the long-term processes involved in parents' meaning-making of an ADHD diagnosis is important and can open up a pathway to developing initiatives to support parents in dealing with their child's challenging behaviours in everyday life.

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Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children is associated with difficulties in everyday functioning. According to the Common-Sense Model of Illness Representations (CSM), individuals' beliefs about their illness condition guide their attempts to cope with it. The model suggests five dimensions of illness representations: beliefs regarding the identity of the symptoms, its duration, causes, consequences, and one's ability to achieve control over it. Aims: The study aimed to explore the validity of the CSM-dimensions of illness representations for children with ADHD, while also exploring the possible relationships between types of beliefs and coping strategies. Method: A deductive qualitative content analysis was used for analyzing data constructed from semistructured individual interviews with 14 children diagnosed with ADHD. Results: The results have shown that there is a variation in children's beliefs regarding their ADHD. Those beliefs are, for the most part, captured by the five CSM-dimensions. An additional dimension of 'Uniqueness' is suggested, which reflects children's beliefs on the way ADHD distinguishes them from other children. Patterns regarding types of beliefs and types of coping strategies were identified. Conclusions: The CSM is a useful theoretical model to understand children's beliefs of, and coping with their ADHD.

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