Development of Attention and Its Relationship With Emotions in Children and Adolescents

Research on the Development of Attention and Its Relationship With Emotions in Children and Adolescents

Our aim was to describe the development and usability of a mobile device-based game therapy software for ADHD.

A total of 51 ADHD children and 52 healthy children were included in the study. At baseline, subjects underwent tests such as ADHD symptom-related scale assessments, computer-assisted information processing tests, and physiological-psychological tests, after which participants completed a 4-week game intervention training at home. After complete completion of the intervention, subjects repeated all tests from the baseline period and answered treatment satisfaction questions.

Inclusion Criteria:

• ADHD-a. Age between 6-12 years, any gender.
• ADHD-b. Outpatient patients diagnosed with ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) criteria.
• ADHD-c. Patients and/or their guardians willing to participate in the study and provide informed consent. Participants aged 8 and above should also sign a child's informed consent form.
• HC. The control group of healthy participants are recruited from a secondary school in Nanjing, matching the age and gender of the ADHD group.

Exclusion Criteria:

• a. Neurodevelopmental disorders such as cerebral palsy, epilepsy, adrenoleukodystrophy, and other similar conditions.
• b. Severe mental disorders including tic disorders, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disability, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depressive disorders, specific learning disorders, and other significant psychiatric conditions.
• c. Individuals exhibiting ADHD-like symptoms due to hearing impairments.
• d. Requirement of any central nervous system medication (including both traditional and Western medicine as well as dietary supplements) such as antipsychotics or antidepressants at any stage of the study.
• e. Patients who have received systematic treatment with two different categories of ADHD medications without improvement.
• f. Individuals with color blindness or any other condition that would prevent proper use of the software.
• g. History of or current gaming addiction.