Evidence mapPaperPMID 41122750Full record

ReviewFrontiers in psychiatry2025

A systematic review and content analysis of serious video games for children with ADHD.

Brandon K Schultz, Steven W Evans, Kaitlynn M Carter, Allison Dembowski, Kelly Lojinger, Emma R Murray, Christy Walcott

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in psychiatry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Brandon K SchultzDepartment of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Steven W EvansDepartment of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States.
Kaitlynn M CarterDepartment of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Allison DembowskiDepartment of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Kelly LojingerDepartment of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.
Emma R MurrayDepartment of Psychology, Ohio University, Athens, OH, United States.
Christy WalcottDepartment of Psychology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Content analysis is a critical step in understanding any mental health treatment, but these details are absent in the serious video games for ADHD literature. To better understand specific ADHD game elements, we conducted a systematic review and identified 37 seminal studies, published between February 2005 and March 2021, investigating 22 distinct ADHD games (final search on January 16, 2025) designed for children and adolescents. We coded those studies and supplementary game descriptions for therapeutic game content, then calculated effect sizes for immediate post-treatment effects on parent ratings of ADHD symptoms (i.e., far transfer), where available. There appeared to be considerable content variability across titles, but most games in this review (55%) attempt cognitive training, with pluralities deploying the go/no-go, continuous performance, and Corsi block tapping task paradigms. Nearly one-fifth (18%) of the games include theta/beta ratio neurofeedback, and more than one-quarter (27%) of the games include novel content (e.g., physical exercise, eye gaze training). Changes in parent ratings of ADHD symptoms range widely (

Indexed as

ADHDcontent analysisdigital healthserious gamessystematic review

Identifiers

PMID41122750
PMCPMC12536224

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.