Comparison of the effectiveness of neurofeedback and ritalin on reduction of behavioral problems and attention of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Elham Mohammadi
1
(Master of General Psychology, Allameh Tabatabaee University, Tehran, Iran.)
Masoud Nosratabadi
2
(Assistant Professor, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran)
Keywords: behavior, neurofeedback, Attention, hyperactivity, attention deficit disorder, ritalin,
Abstract :
Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of neurofeedback and rebatalin on reducing behavioral problems and attention of ADHD children. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test post-test design with control group. The statistical population consisted of children aged 8 to 14 years old who visited Parand center of Tehran. A sample of 36 people was selected and randomly divided into two groups (neurofeedback, drug therapy) and one control group. Neurofeedback treatment was performed for 10 weeks and three sessions of 45 minutes each week. The instrument of this study was the diagnostic questionnaire of Acute Response Disorder / Conners' Attention Deficit, Ahnenbach's Behavioral Assessment Form, and Greenberg and Depoe's Attention Questionnaire. To analyze the data, descriptive analyzes, correlation and multiple covariance analysis were performed by SPSS version 23 software. Results: The results showed that neurofeedback had a significant reduction in the symptoms of aggression, breaking rule and AD / HD symptoms compared to the control group. However, medication only improved aggressiveness in comparison with the control group. There was no significant difference between the two treatments in any of these three subscales. Also, the results showed that neurofeedback was effective in improving the attention variables. Conclusion: Considering the effect of neurofeedback on reducing behavioral problems and increasing the attention of children and ritalin on hyperactivity, the combination of these two treatments can be highly effective. Neurofeedback may also be a substitute for medication due to lack of side effects and high shelf-life.
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