Episode 68: The lived experience of rejection sensitivity in ADHD - A qualitative exploration

About this episode

This episode explores the lived experience of rejection sensitivity in adults with ADHD through qualitative research.

**Paper:** [The lived experience of rejection sensitivity in ADHD — A qualitative exploration](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0314669) **Authors:** Annabel Rowney-Smith, Beth Sutton, Lisa Quadt, Jessica A. Eccles **Journal:** PLOS One, 2024 **Why it matters:** Emotional dysregulation — and rejection sensitivity in particular — affects the majority of adults with ADHD yet remains largely absent from standard diagnostic criteria, leaving a significant dimension of patient suffering unrecognized and untreated. --- **Summary** Rejection sensitivity is a facet of emotional dysregulation in which perceived criticism or social rejection triggers intense dysphoria (profound psychological unease, from the Greek "hard to bear"). Despite emotional dysregulation being estimated to affect up to 70% of adults with ADHD, it is systematically excluded from mainstream diagnostic criteria, which have historically prioritized observable, externalizing behaviors like inattention and hyperactivity. To capture this hidden internal experience, the authors conducted semi-structured focus group interviews with five undergraduate students holding formal ADHD diagnoses, then applied thematic analysis…

People in this episode

Host: Raymond Ruff

Topics covered

• ADHD
• rejection sensitivity
• emotional dysregulation
• qualitative research
• psychological unease

Keywords

• ADHD
• rejection sensitivity
• emotional dysregulation
• qualitative exploration
• psychological unease

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: PLOS One

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