Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Clin Child Fam Psychol Rev DOI 10.1007/s10567-017-0245-2 Perceptions of ADHD Among Diagnosed Children and Their Parents: A Systematic Review Using the Common‑Sense Model of Illness Representations Iana Y. T. Wong 1  · David J. Hawes 1  · Simon Clarke 2,3,4  · Michael R. Kohn 2,3,4  · Ilan Dar‑Nimrod 1   © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2017 parents and youngsters on each of these facets. The compre- hensive assessment of the representations of ADHD indi- cates imbalance attention to the diferent representations of ADHD in the literature; disproportional research attention has been paid to the perceived efectiveness of treatment (i.e., treatment control dimension) compared to other ill- ness representations (e.g., timeline, consequence, and coher- ence), despite research showing their relevance to treatment adherence among other implications. The review identifes the limitation of existing relevant research, needed foci for future studies, specifc testable hypotheses, and potential clinical implications of the multifaceted representations of ADHD among youngsters and carers alike. Keywords Attention-defcit/hyperactivity disorder · Illness perception · Children · Adolescents · Common- sense model · Parents Introduction Attention-defcit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neu- rodevelopmental disorder, characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity/impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development (American Psy- chiatric Association 2013). It is the most common childhood behavioral disorder, afecting 3–7% of school-aged children (American Psychiatric Association; Pineda et al. 1999). As a condition with diverse manifestations, it has profound efects on the lives of children and families in academic, family, and social aspects. Although research on children and parents’ experience of ADHD has grown in recent years, relatively little is known about their subjective perceptions of ADHD as a disorder and the role of such perceptions in conferring risk versus amelioration. According to the common-sense Abstract Research on children and parents’ experiences of ADHD has grown in recent years, attracting attention to their subjective perception of ADHD as a disorder. Theoreti- cal accounts of illness perception suggest that it is multi- dimensional, consisting of at least fve core constructs (see the common-sense model of illness representations or CSM: Leventhal et al., in: Rachman (ed) Medical psychology, Per- gamon, New York, vol 2, pp 7–30, 1980, in: Baum, Taylor, Singer (eds) Handbook of psychology and health: social psychological aspects of health, Earlbaum, Hillsdale, vol 4, pp 219–252, 1984). We suggest that the application of CSM in children/adolescents with ADHD and their parents may play an important role in understanding their coping behavior, treatment adherence, and emotional well-being. A systematic search identifed 101 eligible studies that investi- gated the perception of ADHD among diagnosed children/ adolescents and their parents. In general, these studies sup- port the existence of the multiple facets of illness represen- tations proposed by the CSM in both diagnosed youngsters and parents indicating substantial variability among both Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10567-017-0245-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Iana Y. T. Wong ywon8532@uni.sydney.edu.au 1 School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia 2 Brain Dynamics Centre, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Westmead, Australia 3 Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Sydney, Australia 4 Centre for Research into Adolescents’ Health (CRASH), Sydney, Australia