Effect of Digital Technology-Based Interventions on Core Symptoms and Cognitive Function in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

In 30 seconds

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 37 randomized controlled trials of digital interventions for children with ADHD, covering computer-based interventions, serious video games, exergames, and virtual reality. Overall, digital interventions significantly improved core symptoms and cognitive impairments. Serious video games were associated with improvement in core symptoms (P=.02), while computer-based interventions (P=.04) and serious video games (P=.02) contributed to cognitive improvements. Effects varied by intervention type, age, duration, control group, and assessment method; subgroup analyses found stronger effects in children younger than 10 years and with interventions lasting ≤8 weeks.

Key findings

• Across 37 randomized controlled trials, digital interventions significantly improved core ADHD symptoms and cognitive impairments.
• Serious video games were associated with core-symptom improvement (P=.02).
• Cognitive improvements were mainly attributable to computer-based interventions (P=.04) and serious video games (P=.02).
• Effects were stronger in children <10 years and with intervention duration ≤8 weeks, and varied by control group and assessment modality.

Why it matters

The findings suggest that digital interventions may support both symptom and cognitive outcomes in children with ADHD, but benefits are not uniform across formats or study conditions. The distinction between serious games and computer-based training may help frame future intervention research, while the reported variation underscores the need to interpret pooled effects in light of age, duration, and outcome assessment.

What to keep in mind

Efficacy was highly variable across intervention types and study conditions, and the abstract does not report pooled effect sizes or their precision.