Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Adults with ADHD during COVID-19: An Open Trial

Abstract

This exploratory study reports the outcomes of a remotely delivered manualised form of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during the COVID-19 imposed "lockdown". Adults completing this intervention (N = 12) reported statistically and clinically significant improvements on outcomes relating to self-reported mood F(1.356, 14.917) = 21.64, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.66), anxiety F(2, 22) = 22.93, p < 0.001, η 2 = 0.68), psychosocial adjustment (χ 2 (4) = 26.51, p < 0.001) and treatment acceptability was good. Preliminary findings suggest this cost effective and remotely delivered psychotherapeutic approach might be one appropriate method for supporting the well-being and adjustment of adults with ADHD during future COVID-19 or other pandemic related lockdowns. Further research is urgently required to establish efficacy using larger sample sizes and the implementation of wait list and treatment comparison groups. Future research might also explore the use of this manualised approach in other clinical subgroups and the general population.

Acceptance and commitment therapy for individuals having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): A scoping review

“…A total of 12 adults with ADHD were recruited and three sessions of a manualised form of ACT was delivered remotely via telephone and video conferencing followed by a two-week follow-up. The findings demonstrated that the cost-effective and remotely administered ACT was an adequate way to sustain the mental health and adjustment of adults having ADHD during future COVID-19 or other epidemic-related-lockdowns ( Fullen et al., 2020 ).…”

“…Specifically, substantial improvements were found on measures associated to self-reported mood, anxiety, psychosocial adjustment and treatment acceptability was good ( Fullen et al., 2020 ). Likewise, another study evaluated the viability of ACT among school-going individuals with comorbid ADHD, learning disorders, and disruptive behavior issues.…”

“…The results also indicated that ACT was used as a treatment modality for individuals with ADHD for a variety of behavioural and psychosocial domains, which included reducing ADHD symptoms (e.g., behaviour, focussed and sustained attention, inflexibility, etc. ; Bayat et al., 2019 ; Gholipour et al., 2019 ; Vanzin et al., 2020 ; Murrell et al., 2015 ; Vanzin et al., 2019 ; Vanzin et al., 2020 ) and other sequelae related to the ADHD diagnosis such as quality of life, academic procrastination, depression and anxiety symptoms, and psychological adjustment ( Bayat et al., 2019 ; Fullen et al., 2020 ; Gholipour et al., 2019 ). This shows that ACT was a flexible approach that could be adapted to deliver both targeted treatment of ADHD symptomatology and more general psychosocial issues, and also that it could be delivered in group or individual formats.…”

“…In terms of its effectiveness, the studies explored in this scoping review revealed that ACT was effective in reducing ADHD cognitive symptoms ( Bayat et al., 2019 ; Vanzin et al., 2020 ) and behavioural symptoms ( Bayat et al., 2019 ; Gholipour et al., 2019 ; Murrell et al., 2015 ; Vanzin et al., 2020 ). The effectiveness of ACT was extended to psychosocial and QoL outcomes ( Bayat et al., 2019 ; Fullen et al., 2020 ). One study using group training but failed to record significant improvements in the cognitive domain ( Vanzin et al., 2020 ).…”

“…While they have had the same effect on the subscale of social life quality. 2 Fullen et al., 2020 UK The outcomes of a remotely delivered manualised form of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) during the COVID-19 imposed “lockdown” Experimental study N = 12 4 F, 8 M 12 (M age = 21.92, SD = 1.93) __---____ South West Yorkshire Partnership Foundation Trust Adult ADHD and Autism Service case load Single; administered remotely via telephone and video conferencing 3 sessions; varied in length ranging from 45 - 90 min two weeks follow-up Public Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) Brief Adjustment Scale-6 (BASE-6) Preliminary findings suggest this cost effective and remotely delivered psychotherapeutic approach might be one appropriate method for supporting the well-being and adjustment of adults with ADHD during future COVID-19 or other pandemic related lockdowns. 3 Gholipour et al., 2019 Iran To investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on ADHD symptoms and academic procrastination of ADHD adolescents quasi-experimental design N = 16 __---_ 8 8 Psychiatric and Psychological Service centers ___---___ 10 session ____ Child Symptom Index (CSI-4) Savari’ s Academic Procrastination Scale The ACT intervention had no significant effect on inattentiveness, but it was effective on hyperactivity/impulsivity.…”