NON-PHARMACOLOGICAL TREATMENT INTERVENTIONS FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS WITH ADHD: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Women and girls have historically been left out of ADHD research, resulting in patterns of underdiagnosis and inaccess to evidence-based care. Differing symptomology in female samples with ADHD compared to male samples (i.e., women more commonly display inattention and internalizing symptoms of ADHD, rather than hyperactive-impulsive symptoms), leaves young girls diagnosed at consistently lower rates than boys until adulthood. Psychotropic medications, most often stimulants, are the most commonly used evidence-based treatment for ADHD. Potential side effects may deter individuals from utilizing medication for treatment. Multimodal treatment methods combining psychotropic medications with non-pharmacological interventions have also been recommended, highlighting the need to examine alternatives to medication-based treatment and priotize female samples in research. The current study systematically reviewed literature to identify what non-pharmacological treatments for women and girls with ADHD from 2008 to 2023. Search engines such as Google Scholar, PsycInfo, PsycArticles, and ERIC were used. Thirteen non-pharmacological interventions were identified, of which relevant information from the interventions (e.g., target constructs, length of the tool, psychometric properties) is discussed. Future directions include continued investigation of the effective design of non-pharmacological treatments for ADHD, and evaluation of factors that contribute to the underdiagnosis of female populations with ADHD.