Search

Growing evidence indicates that family-based mind-body therapy programs (FMBTs) act as an important alternative for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) treatment in the youth with minimal side-effects. Moreover, FMBTs contribute to improving the family functioning of those affected by ADHD. To summarize and analyze the benefits and mechanisms, an extensive literature search of the EBSCOhost, PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus databases was conducted to identify eligible studies. Fifteen studies published between 2010–2023 were reviewed. The included FMBTs were implemented with 850 children/adolescents and 996 parents/caregivers, of whom 201 parent couples attended the programs together with their children. All included FMBTs adopted mindfulness/meditation as the core practice to enhance the participants' mental focus and attention, and were designed for long-term engagement, with six including parent–child joint session(s). Positive changes were observed in both children and adolescents, including improvements in ADHD symptoms, behavioral problems, executive function, and school performance. Additionally, parents experienced positive changes in ADHD traits/symptoms, mental health, and parenting behaviors. Furthermore, FMBTs were found to enhance family functioning by delivering mindful strategies to family, restoring psychological capacity and interpersonal skills in family members, and improving parent–child relationships. The reviewed FMBTs demonstrated high levels of feasibility and participant satisfaction. The factors and issues potentially influencing the effectiveness and feasibility of FMBTs are also discussed. The findings indicate that FMBT holds promise as an ADHD treatment option in home settings. Future efforts may focus on optimizing the design of FMBTs to better address the diverse needs of families in varying circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common developmental disorder in childhood, with a 5%-6% worldwide prevalence. Children with ADHD often demonstrate impaired executive function, which is closely related to the development of the commonly observed behavioral problems such as inattention, impaired inhibition, and hyperactivity. The purpose of this study is to examine whether a game-based high-intensity interval training (HIIT) program can improve the executive function of children with ADHD, compared with a traditional structured aerobic exercise program and a non-treatment control group. Methods/Design: A total of 42 children with ADHD will be recruited to participate in this three-arm school-based randomized controlled trial. An 8-week specially designed game-based HIIT (GameHIIT) program and a traditional game-based structured aerobic exercise (GameSAE) program will be delivered to those children randomly assigned to these two intervention groups, while the children in the control group will maintain their regular physical activity over the same period. A number of outcome measures including executive function, cerebral hemodynamic response, physical activity, physical fitness, and enjoyment and adherence to the intervention will be assessed for both groups at baseline (T0), immediately after the intervention period (T1), and after the follow-up period (T2). Discussion: HIIT has recently emerged as a feasible and efficacious strategy for increasing physical health outcomes and cognitive function, including executive function, in healthy young people. However, research has yet to investigate whether the executive function of children with ADHD can be effectively enhanced through HIIT. If, as hypothesized, GameHIIT program improves outcomes for children with ADHD, the present research will inform the development of targeted exercise programs that can be more broadly used with this particular population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]