Reflections on Youth Sport Experiences by Individuals with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

• Author / Creator

  Lee, Homan

• Despite the potential benefits of sport participation for individuals with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), they may face challenges that undermine their sport experiences. Yet there is limited research that tries to understand the sport experiences of these individuals. The purpose of this study was to explore the youth sport experiences of individuals with AD/HD. Six males (age range = 17 – 26 years) with a self-reported diagnosis of AD/HD who had played three or more seasons of team sport(s) in their youth were purposefully sampled. Participants each completed two semi-structured interviews. Data analysis using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (Smith, Flowers, & Larkin, 2009) revealed that sport could be enjoyable and beneficial for participants. However, AD/HD symptoms negatively influenced their performance and relationships with coaches and teammates. Having supportive coaches and ways to cope with their AD/HD symptoms helped to mitigate the negative influence of AD/HD in their sport experiences. Practical applications arising from these findings include increasing coaches’ and athletes’ understanding of how to manage AD/HD, and provision of constructive feedback and supportive behaviours to these athletes.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
  • Youth sport
  • IPA

• Graduation date

  Spring 2013

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3MQ7B

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.