Adult ADHD in Cultural Ecosocial Niches
Exploring the Rise of Adult ADHD in Context
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 7174258 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jesse N Ruse (0000-0002-9041-9125, The University of Sydney, corresponding author), Paul Rhodes (0000-0001-9078-0837, The University of Sydney) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 3-3 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-19 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Culture Medicine and Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0165-005X • E-ISSN: 1573-076X |
| Publisher | Springer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE) |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11013-025-09958-9 |
| PMID | 41553572 |
| OpenAlex | W7124714585 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 70 |
Amid rising adult ADHD diagnoses in recent decades, this article introduces a cultural ecosocial niche theory of adult ADHD, suggesting that symptoms emerge within specific cultural and social contexts rather than solely from neurobiological differences. Through in-depth interviews with seven Australian women recently diagnosed with adult ADHD, complemented by photo-voice methodology, we show how ADHD symptoms fluctuated markedly across different social interactions. The study found that participants actively construct and inhabit cultural ecosocial niches where their traits achieve a functional fit with their social and cultural environment. These niches ranged from adopting the macro-cultural framework of ‘neurodiversity’ to build affirming identities and communities, to finding micro-social occupational niches in fast-paced roles where their cognitive style became an advantage. Each niche was sustained by a reinforcing feedback loop, where the environment (such as a supportive social group or a demanding job) reinforced the very traits and beliefs that initially attracted them to that niche. This study challenges the notion that psychiatric symptoms are confined solely within a person or solely outside in the environment. Instead, it provides a concrete example of how symptoms and their meanings appear at the intersection of both. These findings illuminate the complex ways socio-cultural settings can both constrain and empower, while highlighting implications for how we conceptualise and address adult ADHD in an era of increasing diagnosis
Cognition · Construct (python library · Context (archaeology · Ecological niche · Mental health · Niche · Public health · Social constructionism · Social environment · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder · Autism Spectrum Disorder Research · Neuroethics, Human Enhancement, Biomedical Innovations
Diagnostic Cultures
Prevalence and correlates of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Psychiatry beyond the current paradigm
Cultural Niche Construction
Interpersonal emotion regulation as a mechanism of social support in depression
Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Health Literacy
The Sane Slave
Is ADHD a way of conceptualizing long-term emotional stress and social disadvantage
The experiences of adults with ADHD in interpersonal relationships and online communities
“For Me, ‘Normality’ is Not Normal”
Metaphors of Agony
A cultural-ecosocial systems view for psychiatry
Photovoice in mental illness research
Because You’re Worth It”
Neoliberalism, Inequality and Politics
Bipolar Expeditions
Adult women and ADHD
The impending globalization of ADHD
Using thematic analysis in psychology
ADHD in context
Dependency denied
Neurochemical selves
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |