What is the purpose of the study? 

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is present in as many as 5% of children and adults. People with a diagnosis of ADHD experience difficulties with hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention.

Traditionally, studies of ADHD have focused on these difficulties, but increasingly people are recognising the positive aspects related to the condition. For example, people have said that having ADHD helps them to be creative and to have plenty of energy.

But do all people with ADHD have positive attitudes towards their ADHD - and to what extent? With our collaborators, we developed a tool to measure people’s attitudes towards their ADHD. Just like the study title, the measure is called PATAS (Positive Attitude Towards ADHD Scale).

We want to refine this measure and study how positive attitudes about ADHD might relate to other aspects of daily functioning like self-esteem, self-awareness, and mental health.

How are we running the study?

The study is divided into two stages. In the first stage, we will hold two focus group sessions to refine the PATAS measure. In the second stage, we will conduct a survey involving people with an ADHD diagnosis.

How can you help?

Are you an English-speaking young adult aged 18-25 years with a diagnosis of ADHD, and no clinical diagnosis of a learning disability? You can participate in our study in one of two ways:

• our focus group sessions

• a survey

We will ask for evidence of your ADHD diagnosis for either activity.

Participating in our focus group

If you like focus groups, we’d love to invite you to participate in two one-hour sessions of online focus group activities. You will be one of six participants and compensated with one £25 e-voucher per session.

Please express your interest in participating in the focus group by filling out our form.

Participating in our survey

If you’d prefer, you can complete a 30-minute online survey. You will be given a £10 e-voucher for your participation and be entered into a draw to complete the short PATAS questionnaire a second time for an additional £10.

Please express your interest in participating in the survey by filling our form.

Want more info?

Email any questions to patas@kcl.ac.uk for more information about the project. Our researchers Dr Steve Lukito and Mx Eloise Funnell will be happy to address your questions.