Psychoanalytic child psychotherapy as a treatment for symptoms of ADHD, in cases where domestic violence is an historic feature
Abstract
This paper presents the outcome of a small-scale research project with three children where the experience of domestic violence was considered to be related to the presentation of ADHD-type symptoms. Three children were offered 45 sessions of psychoanalytic psychotherapy with a view to establishing whether these symptoms may be linked to this experience of trauma, rather than purely neurodevelopmental in nature. There were two elements to the research, with this paper presenting the findings of gathered outcome data in the form of an ADHD screening questionnaire to measure the change in, specifically inattentive, symptoms that are being attributed to diagnosed ADHD. The inattentive symptoms reduced in all participants, as did hyperactivity which was not formally a target of the research, and one participant ended the research in the ‘normal’ standard deviation range, meaning that they no longer met the threshold for diagnosis.
Author
Date
2026-02
Type
Article
Subject
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Stress Disorders, Post Traumatic, Domestic Violence
Collections
Citation
Norris, J. (2026). Psychoanalytic child psychotherapy as a treatment for symptoms of ADHD, in cases where domestic violence is an historic feature. Journal of Child Psychotherapy, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/0075417X.2026.2621391
Journal / Source Title
Journal of Child Psychotherapy
DOI
10.1080/0075417X.2026.2621391
PMID
Publisher
Taylor and Francis Group
Routledge
Routledge
Publisher’s URL
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0075417X.2026.2621391