Feasibility of the Understanding and Managing Adult ADHD Programme: Open-access online group psychoeducation and acceptance and commitment therapy for adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND: Psychoeducational interventions are a critical aspect of supporting adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The Understanding and Managing Adult ADHD Programme (UMAAP) is a six-session, group-based webinar intervention that incorporates psychoeducation with acceptance and commitment therapy. UMAAP relies on self-referrals and is facilitated by a charity, to promote accessibility. AIMS: The present study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of UMAAP and explore preliminary effectiveness. METHOD: = 257) participated in an uncontrolled pre-post design. Feasibility was indicated by attendance, confidence in completing the home practice and satisfaction. Quality of life, psychological flexibility, self-acceptance and knowledge of ADHD were assessed at baseline, 1 week post-intervention and 3 months later, to explore preliminary effectiveness. RESULTS: Feasibility was demonstrated by the high attendance ratings and satisfaction with the intervention, although there was only moderate confidence in the ability to complete the home practices. Quality of life (mean increase 9.69, 95% CI 7.57-11.80), self-acceptance (mean increase 0.19, 95% CI 0.10-0.28) and knowledge of ADHD (mean increase 1.55, 95% CI 1.23-1.82) were significantly improved post-intervention. The effects were maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Psychological flexibility did not significantly change immediately post-intervention, but increased significantly at the 3-month follow-up (mean increase 0.42, 95% CI 0.26-0.58). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, UMAAP is a feasible intervention for adults with ADHD. Findings highlighted the feasibility of delivering psychological interventions online in group settings, to increase access to support for adults with ADHD.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in improving self-compassion in adults with ADHD.
“Incorporating self‐compassion frameworks could replenish this psychological resource, which is commonly depleted in individuals with ADHD (Beaton et al. 2022b), such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which has demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in improving self‐compassion in adults with ADHD (Seery et al. 2023, 2024).”
From “I Felt Like a Burden”: An Exploration Into the Experience of Romantic Relationships for People With ADHD (2026) · cites this paper as Seery et al. 2024
The Method (Intervention; page not specified) lists self-compassion as part of UMAAP, a programme combining psychoeducation and ACT. The Results (Preliminary effectiveness; page not specified) report improved self-acceptance in adults with ADHD, not a measured improvement in self-compassion. Because the study evaluated the combined programme without a control group, it also cannot isolate ACT's effect. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe DASH diet has shown potential cognitive benefits in preliminary studies.
“Similarly, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which emphasizes whole foods and low sodium, has shown potential cognitive benefits in preliminary studies [187].”
From ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives (2025) · cites this paper as [187]
The Results and Discussion sections report outcomes of an online psychoeducation and acceptance and commitment therapy programme for adults with ADHD. Searches for the DASH diet, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, and cognitive benefits returned no passage addressing the dietary claim. (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Wickham, H. (2016) · Use R! · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-24277-4 · Cited by 33,612 · see citing works
Guidelines for designing and evaluating feasibility pilot studies
Teresi, J. A., Yu, X., Stewart, A. L., & Hays, R. D. (2022) · Medical Care · doi:10.1097/mlr.0000000000001664 · Cited by 734 · see citing works
Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD
Kooij, J. J. S., Bijlenga, D., Salerno, L., Jaeschke, R., Bitter, I., Balázs, J., Thome, J., Dom, G., Kasper, S., Nunes Filipe, C., et al. (2019) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.11.001 · Cited by 686 · see citing works
The Distinctive Features of a Feasibility Study
Orsmond, G., & Cohn, E. (2015) · OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health · doi:10.1177/1539449215578649 · Cited by 616 · see citing works
Acceptance of Disability and its Correlates
Li, L., & Moore, D. (1998) · The Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1080/00224549809600349 · Cited by 294 · see citing works
Best practices for addressing missing data through multiple imputation
Woods, A. D., Gerasimova, D., Dusen, B. V., Nissen, J., Bainter, S. A., Uzdavines, A., Davis-Kean, P. E., Halvorson, M. A., King, K. M., Logan, J. A. R., et al. (2023) · Infant and Child Development · doi:10.1002/icd.2407 · Cited by 218 · see citing works
Brod, M., Johnston, J., Able, S., & Swindle, R. (2006) · Quality of Life Research · doi:10.1007/s11136-005-8325-z · Cited by 200 · see citing works
Psy-Flex: A contextually sensitive measure of psychological flexibility
Gloster, A. T., Block, V. J., Klotsche, J., Villanueva, J., Rinner, M. T. B., Benoy, C., Walter, M., Karekla, M., & Bader, K. (2021) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2021.09.001 · Cited by 175 · see citing works
ADHD Diagnostic Trends: Increased Recognition or Overdiagnosis?
Abdelnour, E., Jansen, M. O., & Gold, J. A. (2022) · PubMed Central · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Satisfaction with services following voluntary and involuntary admission
Smith, D., Roche, E., O’Loughlin, K., Brennan, D., Madigan, K., Lyne, J., Feeney, L., & O’Donoghue, B. (2014) · Journal of Mental Health · doi:10.3109/09638237.2013.841864 · Cited by 111 · see citing works
Hartman, C. A., Larsson, H., Vos, M., Bellato, A., Libutzki, B., Solberg, B. S., Chen, Q., Du Rietz, E., Mostert, J. C., Kittel-Schneider, S., et al. (2023) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105209 · Cited by 104 · see citing works
Challenges in the design, planning and implementation of trials evaluating group interventions
Biggs, K., Hind, D., Gossage-Worrall, R., Sprange, K., White, D. A., Wright, J. T., Chatters, R., Berry, K., Papaioannou, D. E., Bradburn, M. J., et al. (2020) · Trials · doi:10.1186/s13063-019-3807-4 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Internet-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adults With ADHD in Outpatient Psychiatric Care
Pettersson, R., Söderström, S., Edlund-Söderström, K., & Nilsson, K. W. (2014) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054714539998 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Hirvikoski, T., Lindström, T., Carlsson, J., Waaler, E., Jokinen, J., & Bölte, S. (2017) · European Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.04.005 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Morgensterns, E., Alfredsson, J., & Hirvikoski, T. (2016) · ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders · doi:10.1007/s12402-015-0182-1 · Cited by 48 · cited 2× · see citing works
“6,8,9 Given the increasing demand on specialist services for ADHD, there may be value in developing and evaluating an accessible community-based psychological intervention for adults with ADHD.”
BackgroundMethodLawler, K., Earley, C., Timulák, L., Enrique, Á., & Richards, D. (2021) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/26221 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
ADHD prevalence in the psychiatric population
Gerhand, S., & Saville, C. W. N. (2021) · International Journal of Psychiatry in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1080/13651501.2021.1914663 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Nasri, B., Castenfors, M., Fredlund, P., Ginsberg, Y., Lindefors, N., & Kaldo, V. (2017) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054717690231 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Janssen, L., de Vries, A. M., Hepark, S., & Speckens, A. E. M. (2017) · Journal of Attention Disorders · doi:10.1177/1087054717727350 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Selaskowski, B., Reiland, M., Schulze, M., Aslan, B., Kannen, K., Wiebe, A., Wallbaum, T., Boll, S., Lux, S., Philipsen, A., et al. (2023) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2023.573 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Hsu, T., Adamowicz, J. L., & Thomas, E. B. K. (2023) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.10.006 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Kenter, R. M. F., Gjestad, R., Lundervold, A. J., & Nordgreen, T. (2023) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2023.100614 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Champ, R. E., Adamou, M., & Tolchard, B. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0261247 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Seery, C., Wrigley, M., O'Riordan, F., Kilbride, K., & Bramham, J. (2022) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.13592 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationCarroll, P., Hirvikoski, T., Lindholm, C., & Thorell, L. B. (2021) · Applied Neuropsychology Adult · doi:10.1080/23279095.2021.1910512 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Munawar, K., Choudhry, F. R., Lee, S. H., Siau, C. S., Kadri, N. B. M., & Binti Sulong, R. M. (2021) · Heliyon · doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07842 · Cited by 22 · cited 1× · see citing works
“4 5 – 7 However, psychological interventions have primarily been conducted in outpatient psychiatric clinics.”
BackgroundPrice, A., Ford, T. J., Janssens, A. I. W. A., Williams, A. J., & Newlove‐Delgado, T. (2020) · BJPsych Open · doi:10.1192/bjo.2019.94 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Efficacy of online intervention for ADHD: a meta-analysis and systematic review
Shou, S., Xiu, S., Li, Y., Zhang, N., Yu, J., Ding, J., & Wang, J. (2022) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.854810 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Social media and ADHD: implications for clinical assessment and treatment
Hartnett, Y., & Cummings, E. M. (2023) · Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/ipm.2023.40 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Montse Corrales, F., García-González, S., Vanesa Richarte, B., Fadeuilhe, C., Daigre, C., Garcia-Gea, E., & Ramos‐Quiroga, J. A. (2023) · Psychiatry Research · doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2023.115642 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Seery, C., Leonard-Curtin, A., Naismith, L., King, N., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., Boyd, C., McHugh, L., & Bramham, J. (2023) · Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science · doi:10.1016/j.jcbs.2023.08.005 · Cited by 16 · cited 7× · see citing works
“20 In comparison, people who self-identify are at an earlier stage of their journey and therefore may have different priorities, such as seeking an assessment or learning about ADHD more generally.”
BackgroundMethodResultInfluentialSelf-citationNordby, E. S., Guribye, F., Schønning, V., Andersen, S. L., Kuntsi, J., & Lundervold, A. J. (2024) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/53931 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Strålin, E. E., Thorell, L. B., Szybek, K., Lundgren, T., Bölte, S., & Bohman, B. (2022) · Nordic Psychology · doi:10.1080/19012276.2021.2020683 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Feasibility and acceptability of an internet-based intervention for young adults with ADHD
Shelton, C. R., Hartung, C. M., & Canu, W. H. (2022) · Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science · doi:10.1007/s41347-022-00256-4 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 35 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [22]Seery C. Understanding and Managing Adult ADHD: Development and Evaluation of an App and Group Psycho-Education Workshops. PhD thesis, UCD School of Psychology, University College Dublin, Ireland, 2024.
- [32]Wickham H. Ggplot2: Elegant Graphics for Data Analysis 2nd ed. Springer International Publishing, 2016.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
ADHD in Adulthood: Clinical Presentation, Comorbidities, and Treatment Perspectives
Bogdańska-Chomczyk, E., Majewski, M. K., & Kozłowska, A. (2025) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms262211020 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“Similarly, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, which emphasizes whole foods and low sodium, has shown potential cognitive benefits in preliminary studies [187].”
Seery, C., Cochrane, R. H., Mulcahy, M., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., & Bramham, J. (2025) · Internet Interventions · doi:10.1016/j.invent.2025.100807 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationO'Brien, M., Kini‐Seery, C., Kelly, C., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., Nearchou, F., & Bramham, J. (2026) · Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · doi:10.1111/jmft.70097 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…could replenish this psychological resource, which is commonly depleted in individuals with ADHD (Beaton et al. 2022b), such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which has demonstrated preliminary effectiveness in improving self ‐ compassion in adults with ADHD (Seery et al. 2023, 2024).”
Self-citationGonda, X., Döme, P., Balogh, L., Baradits, M., & Réthelyi, J. (2026) · Pharmacology & Therapeutics · doi:10.1016/j.pharmthera.2026.108997 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Digital health technologies for adults with ADHD: a scoping review
Schofield, F. J., Wilkie, S., Nielsen, E. E., Brigden, A., Jones, M. W., & Isotalus, H. (2026) · Frontiers in Digital Health · doi:10.3389/fdgth.2026.1746732 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Jerjes, W., Arif, A., & Majeed, A. (2026) · Frontiers in Medicine · doi:10.3389/fmed.2026.1798656
Seery, C., Leonard-Curtin, A., Fennessy, J., Rudden, H., McLaughlin, D., Dio, F. U., Cassidy, S., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., & Bramham, J. (2026) · Research in Neurodiversity · doi:10.1016/j.rin.2026.100042
Self-citation“Hormones rule me”: A qualitative exploration of the impact of perimenopause on women with ADHD
Seery, C., Trevaskis, S., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., & Bramham, J. (2026) · Women s Health · doi:10.1177/17455057261450178
Self-citation
- Authors
- Seery, C., Leonard-Curtin, A., Naismith, L., King, N., O'Donnell, F., Byrne, B., Boyd, C., Kilbride, K., Wrigley, M., McHugh, L., & Bramham, J.
- Affiliations
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Health Service Executive (IE)
- Corresponding author
- Seery, Christina
- Venue
- BJPsych Open
- Publisher
- Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Published
- 2024-09
- Volume
- 10
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- e163-e163
- ISSN
- 2056-4724 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC11457231
- OpenAlex
- W4402884689
- Cited by
- 8
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 3
- FWCI
- 2.35
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- BJPsych Open (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Irish Research Council (GOIPG/2021/1223)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Digital Mental Health Interventions
- Keywords
- adult ADHD, acceptance and commitment therapy, group psychoeducation, online therapy, feasibility, psychological flexibility, self-acceptance, quality of life, ADHD knowledge, self-referral, home practice
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
