Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

This narrative review explores the friendship characteristics of children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous literature on ADHD has focused on attentional, academic, and behavioral challenges. Social impairment and peer relationships in children and adoles...

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Main Authors: Kirsten M. Neprily, Emma A. Climie, Adam McCrimmon, Erica Makarenko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-01-01
Series:Frontiers in Developmental Psychology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1390791/full
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author Kirsten M. Neprily
Emma A. Climie
Adam McCrimmon
Erica Makarenko
author_facet Kirsten M. Neprily
Emma A. Climie
Adam McCrimmon
Erica Makarenko
author_sort Kirsten M. Neprily
collection DOAJ
description This narrative review explores the friendship characteristics of children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous literature on ADHD has focused on attentional, academic, and behavioral challenges. Social impairment and peer relationships in children and adolescents with ADHD have been recognized as a critical area of research. Adolescents with ADHD frequently experience clinically significant and impairing social and friendship difficulties. Despite the immense research on factors that contribute to why children and adolescents with ADHD have difficulty making and keeping friends and why friendship is especially important for youth with ADHD, to date, it has not been synthesized in a way that is comprehensive to our understanding. In this review, friendship, friendship formation, the benefits of friendship, and the features of friendship (i.e., friendship quality and stability) will be discussed. Second, the magnitude of friendship challenges faced by children and adolescents with ADHD, as well as the impact these peer difficulties have on friendship quality and stability, will be presented. Next, the dominant conceptualization of why children and adolescents with ADHD struggle to make and keep friends, which focuses on factors such as ADHD symptomatology, executive functioning, social cognition, and emotion regulation, is reported. This review will conclude with suggestions for future research and interventions that may be beneficial for ameliorating friendship difficulties among children and adolescents with ADHD.
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series Frontiers in Developmental Psychology
spelling doaj-art-9423a2ec654e4301b44600b059e594a42025-01-23T06:56:42ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Developmental Psychology2813-77792025-01-01210.3389/fdpys.2024.13907911390791Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity DisorderKirsten M. NeprilyEmma A. ClimieAdam McCrimmonErica MakarenkoThis narrative review explores the friendship characteristics of children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Previous literature on ADHD has focused on attentional, academic, and behavioral challenges. Social impairment and peer relationships in children and adolescents with ADHD have been recognized as a critical area of research. Adolescents with ADHD frequently experience clinically significant and impairing social and friendship difficulties. Despite the immense research on factors that contribute to why children and adolescents with ADHD have difficulty making and keeping friends and why friendship is especially important for youth with ADHD, to date, it has not been synthesized in a way that is comprehensive to our understanding. In this review, friendship, friendship formation, the benefits of friendship, and the features of friendship (i.e., friendship quality and stability) will be discussed. Second, the magnitude of friendship challenges faced by children and adolescents with ADHD, as well as the impact these peer difficulties have on friendship quality and stability, will be presented. Next, the dominant conceptualization of why children and adolescents with ADHD struggle to make and keep friends, which focuses on factors such as ADHD symptomatology, executive functioning, social cognition, and emotion regulation, is reported. This review will conclude with suggestions for future research and interventions that may be beneficial for ameliorating friendship difficulties among children and adolescents with ADHD.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1390791/fullfriendshipsocial skillsadolescentsAttention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorderfriendship quality
spellingShingle Kirsten M. Neprily
Emma A. Climie
Adam McCrimmon
Erica Makarenko
Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Frontiers in Developmental Psychology
friendship
social skills
adolescents
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
friendship quality
title Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
title_full Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
title_fullStr Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
title_full_unstemmed Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
title_short Why can't we be friends? A narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
title_sort why can t we be friends a narrative review of the challenges of making and keeping friends for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
topic friendship
social skills
adolescents
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
friendship quality
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fdpys.2024.1390791/full
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