Stigma in Adults with ADHD and its Impact on Quality of Life: A systematic review

This project is a systematic review examining stigma in adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and its impact on quality of life (QoL). ADHD is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition that affects a substantial proportion of adults and is associated with impairments across social, educational, occupational, and healthcare domains. While symptom-related difficulties contribute to reduced functioning, growing evidence suggests that stigma plays a significant and often under-recognised role in shaping outcomes for adults with ADHD. Stigma related to ADHD can take multiple forms, including self-stigma or internalized stigma, perceived stigma, public stigma, and structural stigma. These forms may operate at individual, interpersonal, societal, and institutional levels, influencing self-concept, help-seeking behaviour, access to care, treatment engagement, and broader quality-of-life outcomes. Despite increasing recognition of adult ADHD, the stigma experienced by adults with this diagnosis has not been comprehensively synthesised in recent literature. The primary aims of this review are: to identify and categorise the different types of stigma experienced by adults with ADHD, and to examine how these stigmas are associated with quality-of-life outcomes across key domains, including self-esteem and self-concept, interpersonal relationships, education, employment, healthcare access, and diagnosis or treatment experiences. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature was conducted across APA PsycArticles, Embase, and Ovid MEDLINE using predefined ADHD- and stigma-related search terms. Eligible studies included qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods research published in English within the past decade, involving adults aged 18 years or older with ADHD and explicitly describing at least one form of stigma. Studies focusing exclusively on children, non-human samples, or non-empirical designs were excluded. Study selection followed a structured screening process, and data were extracted using a standardised framework to capture study characteristics, stigma type, outcome measures, and key findings. The expected outcomes of this review are a comprehensive synthesis of how stigma manifests in adult ADHD, clarification of the relationship between stigma and quality-of-life outcomes, and identification of gaps in the current evidence base—particularly in relation to structural stigma and causal pathways. By consolidating existing evidence, this project aims to inform future research directions, clinical practice, and policy initiatives, including stigma-reduction strategies, clinician education, and service-level reforms to improve care and well-being for adults with ADHD.