Boynton, HeatherMerrick, Jennifer2023-01-172023-01-172023-01-09Merrick, J. (2023). "It feels like we are aliens": a narrative inquiry of life stories told by women with ADHD (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.http://hdl.handle.net/1880/115684https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/40602There is a dearth of research on women with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and women’s voices and experiences of ADHD need to be better heard and understood. This qualitative inquiry aimed to better understand the lived and holistic experiences of women with ADHD in Alberta Canada, and how their experiences impacted identity and sense of self. A holistic perspective was chosen as it considers not only the mind, but the body and spirituality of the individual which are important to understanding self and experience. This study interviewed six adult women from Alberta, Canada using a narrative inquiry methodology. Themes presented from the narratives included 1) ‘feeling like an alien’ and experiences of alienation from self and social worlds; 2) differences in male and female experiences; 3) narratives of self-discovery, acceptance, and redefining success; 4) narratives on the importance of relationships; 5) narratives on identity and ADHD; 6) narratives on a holistic sense of self. This study presented an important perspective and insight into the worlds of women living with ADHD, and additionally exposed several gaps in the literature that would be important for further social work research and informing practice.University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.NarrativeWomenADHDAttention Deficit-Hyperactivity DisorderHolisticSpiritualityEmbodimentLife Story InterviewSocial WorkMental Healthmaster thesis