Analysis of the Impact of Digital Therapeutic Interventions on Attention and Working Memory in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Recent research has explored non-pharmacological digital therapeutic interventions as a means to improve compliance and reduce side effects in medication treatments for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder(ADHD). OBJECTIVE This study aims to validate the effects of game-based intervention content designed to enhance working memory and concentration. The study monitored quantitative changes using assessment tools to evaluate improvements in these cognitive areas when digital game-based content was employed as adjunct therapy alongside medication for children with ADHD. METHODS A total of 30 children participated were divided into an experimental group receiving digital therapeutic intervention based on game content alongside medication and a control group receiving conventional treatment methods. RESULTS The experimental group exhibited a reduction of 8.13±6.71 points on the K-ARS total score, compared to 7.14±8.73 points in the control group. Inattentiveness and hyperactivity-impulsivity decreased by 23.82% and 17.73%, respectively, more in the experimental group than in the control group. Significant reductions in the K-CBCL total problem behavior score, including internalizing and externalizing behaviors, were consistently observed at 28 d compared to baseline. Results from the FAIR attention-concentration test revealed significant differences between the experimental and control groups in Q-percentile and Q-standard scores (p=0.006 for the experimental group, p=0.007 for the control group) based on repeated measures ANOVA. CONCLUSIONS Digital game-based content demonstrates significant potential as a non-pharmacological therapeutic intervention for ADHD. CLINICALTRIAL Clinical Research Information Service KCT0009326.