Abstract
A number of behavioral and pharmacological treatments have been widely accepted as evidenced-based approaches to treating symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. While pharmacological approaches are safe and effective at managing symptoms, a large subset of caregivers do not have access to medication, refuse it, or find it ineffective, necessitating the need for non-pharmacological treatments. Such behavioral interventions are also generally effective approaches to symptom management and reducing the functional impairment of ADHD and may even demonstrate better parent satisfaction than medication alone. However, these interventions are often difficult to access and burdensome to implement, especially as children age into adolescence. The risks associated with untreated ADHD are not benign, and thus there is a substantiated need to explore adjunctive treatment approaches aimed at reducing functionally impairing symptoms of and associated with ADHD. There have been many studies aimed at evaluating the efficacy of adjunctive and complementary treatments that utilize non-traditional or alternative approaches to treatment, but these approaches have not been cumulatively studied. The primary objectives of this systematic review were to (a) categorize, thematically subtype complementary and alternative treatments for ADHD that are not largely examined in the literature and (b) to evaluate these treatment approaches to summarize their efficacy in targeting ADHD and its associated symptoms. Twenty-two studies were examined and reviewed along three treatment subtypes of creativity-based, mindfulness-based, and movement-based approaches to treating ADHD and associated symptoms. While treatments across all three categories were largely found to be effective in reducing ADHD symptoms, there was great variability in the approaches themselves, assessment measures used to evaluate outcomes, and delivery methods. Intervention techniques like yoga, mindfulness training, and structured art-based activities like mandala coloring may serve to engage youth in novel activities that help foster self-regulation and improve executive functioning through accessible and enjoyable modalities. Secondary benefits were also observed in children’s emotional regulation and social functioning. Parental emotion regulation as also observed amongst mindfulness-based interventions. Variability in study methodology may limit the strengths of the conclusions included in this review, though the findings highlight the need for further empirical exploration of ADHD treatments.
Library of Congress Subject Headings
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescence--Treatment; Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder--Treatment
Date of Award
2025
School Affiliation
Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Department/Program
Psychology
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctorate
Faculty Advisor
Latonya Wood
Recommended Citation
Kohler, Kelly M., "A systematic review of the outcomes and efficacy of complementary and alternative non-pharmacological interventions in youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder" (2025). Theses and Dissertations. 1605.
https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/etd/1605