Early Preventive Interventions for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder : A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychological disorders in childhood and can lead to many challenges for the children. Several forms of treatment exist, but treatment effects are not as impactful as would be desirable. A possibly promising approach for effective intervention is the prevention of the disorder before its onset. The aim of this systematic review was the identification and evaluation of empirically evaluated early preventive interventions for ADHD, implemented before school entrance. A systematic database search in different databases resulted in 12 articles. After applying a quality assessment, nine articles, evaluating seven interventions were included in the data analysis. All interventions targeted the behavioral and emotional development of preschool children, with ADHD symptomatology as part of the child problem behavior. All but one intervention resulted in a significant improvement in ADHD symptomatology of the intervention group compared to the control group, supporting the effectiveness of prevention for the development of ADHD. Interventions were most effective when addressing both, psychological factors (by teaching of behavioral and emotional skills), as well as social factors (by teacher and/or parent trainings). However, for most interventions, no long-term outcomes were assessed. Methodological challenges and limitations of this systematic review, as well as possibilities for future research, are addressed.