This Australian qualitative study explored how adults with extreme demand avoidance (EDA) traits experience and navigate the demands and expectations of adulthood. The researchers aimed to understand the impact of EDA on everyday functioning and wellbeing, and to identify strategies, accommodations and resources that adults find helpful.
Fifty-three participants completed an online survey incorporating the Extreme Demand Avoidance Questionnaire–Adult version (EDA-QA). Fourteen adults aged 21–50 who met the study’s eligibility criteria went on to answer open-ended questions about the challenges they experienced and the strategies they used to manage everyday demands. The researchers analysed their responses using thematic analysis.
Five themes were identified:
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24/7 Turmoil: the ongoing nature of demand-related anxiety, overwhelm and exhaustion.
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A Tug-of-War Within: the internal conflict associated with wanting or needing to do something while experiencing resistance to the demand.
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Hell is Other People: the difficulties that interpersonal expectations and relationships can create.
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Misunderstanding and Stigma: the impact of others misinterpreting EDA-related experiences and responding without understanding the underlying difficulties.
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I Will Survive: the resilience, creativity and strategies participants used to navigate adulthood and protect their wellbeing.
The findings suggest that everyday adult responsibilities, including employment, relationships and managing daily tasks, can create persistent anxiety, guilt, exhaustion and self-doubt. Avoidance was described as a way of protecting oneself from overwhelming anxiety rather than simply reflecting a lack of motivation or willingness. Participants also described finding ways to adapt their lives, redefine goals and prioritise wellbeing.
The authors highlight the need for greater understanding of EDA in adulthood and recommend flexible, autonomy-supportive, compassionate and neurodiversity-affirming approaches across clinical, workplace and social settings. They argue for moving away from deficit-based interpretations and towards accommodations that reduce pressure, support autonomy and recognise individual differences.
The study addresses an important gap in research, as adults with EDA traits have received considerably less research attention than children and young people.