The experiences of medical students with ADHD: A phenomenological study

Godfrey-Harris, Megan; Shaw, Sebastian Charles Keith

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0290513

Cited by 7 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 51 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Some scholars also state that dyslexia does not offer strengths but go on to assert its value as part of human neurodiversity (Johnson, 2023). Research exploring the experiences of medical students with ADHD (Godfrey-Harris and Shaw, 2023) and dyslexia (Shaw et al, 2016(Shaw et al, , 2022Godfrey-Harris and Shaw, 2023) provides further insight into these challenges and strengths. The broader impacts of neurodiversity on research integrity, social justice, and education have also been emphasized in recent scholarship (Elsherif et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing experiences of neurodiverse students in graduate STEM programs

Syharat,

Hain,

Zaghi

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

BackgroundDespite efforts to increase the participation of marginalized students, neurodivergent students remain underrepresented in graduate STEM programs. Prior research shows that these students often experience challenges related to key aspects of writing. The objective of this qualitative study is to deepen understanding of the writing experiences, strengths, and challenges of neurodivergent students pursuing graduate degrees in STEM fields. In this analysis, we consider the factors that influence the writing-specific challenges faced by neurodivergent students in graduate STEM programs. This work also explores how neurodivergent students leverage strengths and strategies for success in graduate-level writing tasks.ResultsThis qualitative study draws on Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) to consider the ways cognitive, behavioral, and environmental factors impact writing experiences. We used thematic analysis of the transcripts from 13 focus groups and 1 interview to examine the writing experiences of 31 students who identify as neurodivergent in graduate STEM programs. The findings suggest that many writing challenges faced by neurodivergent graduate students are behaviors and beliefs that emerge in response to environmental factors such as the culture of STEM fields, prior experiences with writing assignments, anxiety driven by intensive feedback cycles, and perceived and experienced stigma. Study participants employed a range of collaborative and situational strategies to support and enhance their writing productivity.ConclusionThese findings may provide insight for current and future neurodivergent graduate students as they adjust to the intense writing demands of graduate degree programs and for graduate program administrators and faculty advisors as they consider new ways to support the academic success of neurodivergent graduate students.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Writing experiences of neurodiverse students in graduate STEM programs

Syharat,

Hain,

Zaghi

et al. 2023

Front. Educ.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

When I say … neurodiversity paradigm

Shaw,

Brown,

Jain

et al. 2024

Medical Education

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with borderline or emotionally unstable personality disorder: A phenomenological study

Tamilson,

Eccles,

Shaw

2024

Autism

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An increasing number of studies are investigating the links between autism and borderline personality disorder. Studies report overlapping differences and the challenges in differentiating between these two diagnostic labels. In practice, there are many people, especially autistic women, who feel that they were misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This study aimed to explore the experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This is an interpretive phenomenological study. Data were collected using one-to-one, semi-structured interviews. Interview audio-recordings were transcribed and analysed using an interpretive phenomenological analysis. Ten people participated. All recalled autistic differences since childhood that went unnoticed. In most cases, borderline personality disorder was felt to have been a misdiagnosis. This misdiagnosis carried stigma, introduced diagnostic overshadowing and led to harmful experiences for our participants. While they did not identify with the diagnosis, they felt powerless to challenge it. In contrast, receiving an autism diagnosis was ‘life changing’. While this did not solve everything for them, it was deeply validating. It also allowed them to be their true authentic selves, shifting the focus away from ‘treatment’ and changing who they are to suit others, towards acceptance of their differences and neurotype. This significantly improved their mental health. Lay Abstract Autistic people face many barriers to receiving an autism diagnosis. Often, they may be misdiagnosed with borderline personality disorder instead. For our study, we interviewed 10 autistic adults who had previously been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. This helped us to better understand their experiences. They explained how borderline personality disorder is quite stigmatised and may suggest that people are to blame for their differences in behaviour. They found the treatments they had to try for borderline personality disorder to be harmful. For example, these treatments promoted ‘masking’. Previous research showed that masking can be harmful for autistic people, linking it to risk of suicide. This diagnosis also led to healthcare professionals neglecting them and discounting their beliefs. Once they were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, it was hard to access an autism assessment. When they did receive their autism diagnoses, this was much more positive. This diagnosis was validating. It also improved their mental health, as they were no longer expected to mask – their differences were now accepted. They still felt that autism was stigmatised in society. However, this was very different to the stigma around borderline personality disorder. They felt autism stigma was more about their competence as people, whereas borderline personality disorder stigma was about how they were broken and might be harmful to others. This study is important because it allows their stories to be heard by researchers and healthcare professionals alike. Adding their voices helps to humanise them, promoting positive change in mental health services. More research is now needed.

show abstract

The experiences of medical students with ADHD: A phenomenological study

Cited by 7 publications

References 51 publications

Writing experiences of neurodiverse students in graduate STEM programs

Writing experiences of neurodiverse students in graduate STEM programs

When I say … neurodiversity paradigm

The experiences of autistic adults who were previously diagnosed with borderline or emotionally unstable personality disorder: A phenomenological study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About