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

Abstract

Objectives Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) has accumulated increasing evidence-base for a broad range of mental health issues. Considering that ACT encourages broad and flexible patterns of behaviour and neutralizes the pervasive psychological processes proposed to be caused by most individuals' distress, such a modality may be effective for ADHD. This review aimed to give a synthesis of the studies, so far, focusing on the usefulness of ACT approaches among individuals having ADHD. Design/Methods This scoping review searched studies exploring the effectiveness of ACT approaches for individuals with ADHD across eight electronic databases (Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, ScienceDirect, PubMed, Emcare, Scopus, and Google Scholar). This review was based on a total of two quasi-experimental and four experimental studies. Results A thematic analysis was suggested based on the PRISMA guidelines. Overall, the review presented preliminary evidence demonstrating the use of ACT among individuals with ADHD. It was found that the ACT was used to treat a variety of behavioural and psychosocial outcomes, which included reducing ADHD symptoms (e.g., impulsivity, inattention, inflexibility, etc.) and other sequelae related to the ADHD diagnosis such as poor quality of life, academic procrastination, depression and anxiety symptoms, and psychological maladjustment. Conclusions This review revealed that ACT was a flexible approach that could be adapted to deliver both targeted treatment of ADHD symptomatology and more general psychosocial issues. It could also be delivered in group or individual formats. Nevertheless, although the findings of the present scoping review indicate promising results, more research is needed.

The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Emotion Regulation, Behavioral Symptoms, and Academic Performance of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

“…The results demonstrated the ACT's effectiveness in enhancing emotion regulation strategies, boosting academic performance, and mitigating behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD. This finding is consistent with those of Munawar et al (24). Sánchez et al (10) revealed that hyperactive children struggle with the cognitive processing of emotional information and regulating their emotions.…”

“…5 themselves, worries about relationships with others, and inappropriate social performance (12). When discussing the impact of ACT-based parenting training on ADHD children's emotion regulation, behavioral symptoms, and academic performance, it is worth noting that ACT interventions incorporate cognitive defusing, acceptance of unpleasant thoughts and feelings, and mindfulness skills (24). These parameters improved parents' psychological flexibility and their ability to respond more adaptively to their child's misbehavior.…”

“…Various therapeutic and educational approaches have been used to improve the symptoms of psychological harm in individuals with ADHD. A widely used treatment method ACT (24). One of the strengths of ACT is its distinct and well-founded philosophical and theoretical foundation, which differentiates it from other approaches (25).…”

Is ADHD a way of conceptualizing long-term emotional stress and social disadvantage?

“…Instead of medicalizing the child's behavior through a diagnosis of the brain, focus is on giving support and help to the parents, which serves as a treatment also for the child. In accordance with this view, psychotherapeutic techniques ( 25 , 76 – 78 ) could be alternatives to the current, often first-of-choice, central-stimulant medication. Within a psychotherapeutic framework, children diagnosed with ADHD can receive unique attention allowing them to communicate what they perceive as most disturbing in their life.…”