Date of Conferral

2023

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Arcella Trimble

Abstract

AbstractA recent spike has occurred in women diagnosed with less common and often overlooked ADHD symptoms. Using the mindfulness to meaning theory as the foundation, this study was conducted to explore how mindfulness meditation (MM) and medication affected three related factors commonly found in women with ADHD, self-concept, risky behaviors, and familial relationships. The research questions were formulated to determine if there was a difference in subscale scores of each variable based on the type of treatment the participant was using, either mindfulness meditation (MM) or prescription medication, to deal with ADHD symptoms. A pre-experimental static group comparison design was used. The target population was women between ages 18 and 65 who were biologically female, had an ADHD diagnosis, and used either MM as a form of treatment, or medication as a form of treatment. Data were collected from 109 women via an online survey and once assessed, it was determined that some surveys could not be used in the final analysis. Ultimately, there were 52 participants in the prescription medicine group and 51 in the MM group (N = 103). An ANOVA analysis was used to examine the data. The study found that women using MM had lower Likert scale scores, than did women using medication. This could imply that MM is an effective treatment option for women dealing with negative symptoms of ADHD. The study’s analysis has potential implications for positive social change because it encourages the examination and use of other treatments to assist women in successfully dealing with symptoms of ADHD. For the large number of women that do not want to use medication to treat these symptoms, this study shows that alternative treatments may be an effective approach.

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