The university experience of female ADHD students from their perspective: cross-sectional findings from two Australian universities

Kathryn  Gibbs; Elizabeth Wheeley; Aruna Devi; Katherine Main

doi:10.1007/s43545-026-01527-0

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The university experience of female ADHD students from their perspective: cross-sectional findings from two Australian universities

Journal article

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The university experience of female ADHD students from their perspective: cross-sectional findings from two Australian universities

Kathryn Gibbs, Elizabeth Wheeley, Aruna Devi and Katherine Main

SN Social Sciences, Vol.6, pp.1-21

2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-026-01527-0

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Abstract

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ADHD

female university students

higher education

More female ADHD students are entering higher education than previously. To date, the experiences of university for this student group are largely unknown. We explored what university is like for 20 female ADHD students across two universities in Queensland, Australia. Data from semi-structured individual interviews were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Three major themes were developed, which were self-awareness, strengths, and strategies; external and internal challenges; and relational capital and support networks. Findings showed the importance of understanding these students’ perspectives, the diversity across their experiences and strategies, and how assumptions and supports tailored for males might not address the impacts of ADHD on female students at university. These data help to expand this important area of research to ensure that female ADHD students continue to realise successful university and career outcomes. Additionally, the findings could help shape policies and practices to promote inclusivity and a supportive environment for neurodivergent students in universities.

Details

Title: The university experience of female ADHD students from their perspective: cross-sectional findings from two Australian universities
Authors: Kathryn Gibbs (Corresponding Author) - Griffith University
Elizabeth Wheeley - University of the Sunshine Coast
Aruna Devi - University of the Sunshine Coast
Katherine Main - Griffith University
Publication details: SN Social Sciences, Vol.6, pp.1-21
Publisher: Springer
Date published: 2026
DOI: 10.1007/s43545-026-01527-0
ISSN: 2662-9283
Copyright note: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
Data Availability: No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.
Organisation Unit: School of Education and Tertiary Access
Language: English
Record Identifier: 991235802302621
Output Type: Journal article

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