For many mothers, parenting a child diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) becomes a lonely and often overwhelming experience. The challenges are not only the behaviours associated with the diagnosis but the daily negotiation with schools that do not always understand, relatives who offer judgment instead of support, and the constant emotional work that rarely gets acknowledged.
A recent qualitative study from Sri Lanka by K. V . G. S. G. Vithana and T. A. Asurakkody looks at a part of daily life that many mothers already depend on, even if it sits outside the formal mental health world. The study explores how spiritual practices help South Asian mothers make sense of what they are going through, steady themselves, and feel less alone in their caregiving.
The authors write:
“The struggles of parenting a child with ADHD can exceed the typical emotional, social, and financial challenges, leading mothers to seek culturally meaningful and holistic methods of coping.”
This acknowledges the depth of what mothers carry and points to why many turn toward spiritual practices that feel both familiar and emotionally accessible.
ADHD: Concerns and Controversies
Raising a child with ADHD often involves a steady accumulation of stress. Mothers may feel caught between managing behavioural difficulties, responding to school complaints, and navigating community expectations that place the weight of the child’s behaviour solely on them. Access to mental health resources is limited, and when available, they may feel distant or too clinical. In South Asian settings, where caregiving is tied closely to a mother’s identity and social value, these pressures take on an added intensity.
In recent years, ADHD has become one of the most discussed conditions in child mental health. It is often presented as a neurodevelopmental disorder that requires medication and structured behavioural interventions. At the same time, researchers and clinicians continue to raise concerns about overdiagnosis, particularly among young boys and younger students in a classroom year.
Recent research has shown social media use to worsen these trends. These concerns point to the possibility that behaviours associated with ordinary childhood energy or restlessness may be misinterpreted as symptoms of a disorder. News outlets and advocacy groups have also brought attention to the risks of medicalising what might be developmental or context-driven differences in attention and behaviour.
These debates become even more complex in places outside Europe and North America, where cultural expectations, schooling environments, and family structures shape how childhood behaviour is understood. In such contexts, alternative ways of making sense of a child’s struggles, including spiritual or relational explanations, may feel more intuitive and accessible than medical ones.
This study stands out because it does not separate mothers from their cultural and social worlds. It recognises that when formal systems feel out of reach, people turn to the resources they already trust and understand. For these mothers, those resources are spiritual practices and community networks that have always been part of their lives.
The aim of this study was to understand how mothers describe, in their own words, the role of spiritual practices in their daily caregiving. The researchers wanted to learn how these practices support emotional regulation, provide meaning, and function alongside or in place of formal mental health services.
Faith, Karma, and Meaning
When mothers spoke about their day-to-day experiences, many began with a kind of quiet questioning. They were trying to understand why their child struggled in ways others did not. Instead of remaining in confusion or self-blame, most turned to the spiritual language they grew up with. It helped them make sense of moments that might otherwise feel unbearable.
Several mothers described mentally returning to ideas about fate, karma, or a larger cosmic order. This did not erase the difficulty, but it softened it. One mother wondered why hardship had come her way despite the good she believed she had done, yet still interpreted it as part of her life’s path. Others drew directly from the idea of karma, believing that what was happening was tied to earlier causes.
The belief that fate could be shifted through meritorious acts gave them a sense of agency in an otherwise uncontrollable situation. Mothers also expressed trust in forces beyond the immediate, like the compassion of the Buddhaor the strength of gods. They described rituals such as Bodhi pooja or praying for protection as ways of keeping hope alive. These thoughts were not abstract. They were active tools that mothers used to stay emotionally balanced in the middle of constant pressure.
Shuttling Between Guilt and Hope
Mothers often shifted from asking what they had done wrong to asking how they could grow or what they were meant to learn. This shift helped reduce self-blame and softened feelings of guilt or frustration. Hope did not show up as a dramatic shift but as a quiet thread that mothers held on to.
Many believed their prayers would eventually help or that things would improve in their own time. This steady optimism helped mothers continue in their caregiving responsibilities despite exhaustion.
Private and Communal Spiritual Practices Ease Struggle
These beliefs naturally led to outward practices that shaped their routines. Spiritual habits were woven into the small spaces between chores, work, and caregiving. Some mothers chanted sacred verses in the evenings. Others prayed during difficult moments.
Lighting lamps, offering flowers, or reciting seth kavi became grounding rituals that helped manage anxiety. Meditation also emerged in several stories, especially maitri meditation, which helped mothers cultivate compassion for their children and themselves. Private prayers, meditation, chanting, and personal rituals provided small pockets of calm and predictability.
Alongside private practices, many mothers also sought communal forms of spiritual engagement. Attending temple rituals, joining weekly bodhi pooja, participating in church sessions, or visiting mosques gave them a sense of belonging. These spaces offered a kind of acceptance that was often missing elsewhere. Even when their child wandered or could not sit still, mothers felt less judged in these spiritual settings than in classrooms or public places. For many, these moments created a feeling of normalcy and gave their children environments where they could simply exist without criticism.
Weekly religious gatherings or ceremonies offered community, belonging, and a rare moment where mothers were not solely defined by their child’s diagnosis.
Support from Religious Leaders: Practical and Conceptual Guidance
Religious leaders showed up throughout the mothers’ stories as steady and approachable figures. In a setting where formal mental health services are limited, these leaders filled a gap that otherwise remained open.
Many mothers described learning from sermons or conversations that emphasised patience, acceptance, and resilience. These teachings were not intended as therapy, yet mothers often used them in precisely that way. Others sought one-on-one guidance. They appreciated that monks, priests, or mosque leaders listened without judgment.
Mothers spoke about receiving not only emotional support but also practical help, such as assistance with preschool fees, food, or transportation. For families with limited financial stability, this support made a direct and tangible difference.
Religious leaders offered mothers someone who listened and understood their circumstances without turning their distress into pathology. These interactions helped them feel seen and supported.
Overall, teachings and reminders about compassion and endurance helped mothers make sense of their daily challenges. Leaders provided attentive, empathetic listening and, at times, material assistance that the formal system did not offer.
This study shows that spiritual practices are not a minor or optional part of coping for these mothers. For many, they are the foundation that helps them get through each day. Faith gives them a way to organise their emotions, interpret their experiences, and feel connected to others.
When formal mental health systems feel distant or insufficient, these spiritual and cultural practices become even more central. For mental health professionals, researchers, and policymakers in South Asia, the message is clear.
To understand caregiving in real contexts, one must understand the systems of meaning and community people already rely on. Ignoring these frameworks means missing a large part of the lived experience of caregiving.
The study is limited by its small and culturally specific sample, but the broader pattern is familiar across the region. When formal systems fall short, people turn toward what feels stable, familiar, and human. For these mothers, faith provided that stability.
References
Vithana, K. V . G. S. G. V ., & Asurakkody, T. A. (2025). Spiritual practices as coping with mothers of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: a qualitative explorative study. BMC Psychology, 13(3).
Researcher Contact Info: K. V . G. S. G. Vithana, T. A. Asurakkody. [email protected]
Link to Study: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-02331-2
Neil Nallan Chakravartula
Neil Nallan Chakravartula is an aspiring social and critical psychologist, currently pursuing his Master’s in Psychology at the University of Mumbai. He holds a BSc in Psychology from Christ University, Bangalore. With experience in clinical, community, and research settings, Neil is interested in the tangled intersections of mental health, society, and power. He enjoys asking difficult questions - especially the kind that make people in the clinical world just a little uncomfortable.