Mindfulness Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Clara R. Kretschmer, Burcu Göz Tebrizcik, Eleanor J Dommett
Psychiatry International December 7, 2022 DOI: 10.3390/psychiatryint3040031 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1,237 |
| Population | Children and adults with an ADHD diagnosis or a score above a clinically relevant cut-off on a validated ADHD measure, plus 525 family members |
| Intervention | Mindfulness |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | The authors report that mindfulness may improve self-compassion, quality of life, wellbeing, depression, and anxiety in people with ADHD, and may also improve ADHD symptoms, executive function, problematic behaviours, and emotional dysregulation, though results varied by age and measures used. They caution that the evidence base is weaker than the approach's popularity because many studies lacked blind assessment, adequate randomization, or suitable control conditions. |
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition impacting children and adults. Current treatments are limited and there is increasing interest in the use of mindfulness, which is growing in popularity. Previous systematic reviews have typically focused on specific ages, outcome measures or interventions. The current review aimed to take a more comprehensive approach. Title and abstract searches were performed in five databases for randomized and non-randomized controlled trials or pre-post studies with participants with an ADHD diagnosis or a score above a clinically relevant cut-off on a validated ADHD measure. Studies had to measure symptoms of ADHD, global or social functioning. Extraction of key information including participant status (i.e., diagnosis, scale scores, comorbidities, medication use), study design, and outcome measures was conducted. Effect sizes (Hedge’s g) were calculated and where a measure had been used in at least three studies with the same population, meta-analyses were considered. Twenty-nine studies were initially identified, with seven deemed poor quality and removed from further analysis leaving, 22 studies containing data from 1237 children and adults with ADHD along with data from 525 family members. The data indicate possible benefits of mindfulness on self-compassion, quality of life, wellbeing, depression, and anxiety. The findings also suggest that mindfulness may also improve ADHD symptoms, executive function, problematic behaviours, and emotional dysregulation, although results vary by age of patient and measures used. Parent stress and parenting style have received limited attention, highlighting the need for more studies in these areas. Whilst the data presented suggest that mindfulness may be beneficial, the evidence base is not as strong as the popularity of the approach. Many of the studies lacked blind assessment, adequate randomization, or suitable control conditions. As such high-quality controlled studies considering medication, other psychosocial interventions, use of active and in active controls and comorbidity as well as longer follow-up periods, are needed to confirm this.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
Cites 27
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training for Children with ADHD and Mindful Parenting for their Parents Journal of Child and Family Studies February 1, 2011
- The Effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Behavioral Problems and Attentional Functioning in Adolescents with ADHD Journal of Child and Family Studies September 21, 2011
- An EEG Investigation of the Attention-Related Impact of Mindfulness Training in Youth With ADHD: Outcomes and Methodological Considerations Journal of Attention Disorders July 27, 2017
- The efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder beyond core symptoms: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression. Journal of Affective Disorders September 1, 2021
- A randomised controlled trial (MindChamp) of a mindfulness‐based intervention for children with ADHD and their parents Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry May 24, 2021
and 22 more in the library