Peer-reviewed article
Psychosocial Interventions in Family, School, and Clinical Settings for Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review
Xiaoyu Sun, Yuan Li, Hitoshi Okamura ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This systematic review looked at 42 studies of psychosocial (non-drug) help for children and teenagers with ADHD. It compared approaches used in family, school and clinical settings. Programmes that combined several settings were linked to better ADHD symptoms and day-to-day functioning than programmes in a single setting. Some longer-term studies found that symptoms came back over time. The authors support developing coordinated programmes that work across settings.
Key points
- Forty-two studies met the eligibility criteria.
- Multimodal psychosocial interventions were associated with improvements in core ADHD symptoms.
- Multimodal interventions were associated with reductions in long-term functional impairments.
- Multimodal approaches generally did better than unimodal approaches on behavioural regulation, academic performance and social functioning.
- Some longitudinal studies reported that symptoms recurred over time.
Limitations
The abstract does not give the designs of the included studies, effect sizes, or the countries covered, and it describes associations rather than proven causes. It cannot show which intervention components drive the benefits or how long they last.
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity, which can significantly impair the academic and social functioning of children and adolescents. Although psychosocial interventions are widely used, existing evidence has primarily focused on single-setting approaches, with limited synthesis of interventions implemented across multiple settings. To systematically review and synthesize empirical evidence on the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for children and adolescents with ADHD across family, school, and clinical settings, and to evaluate the extent to which cross-context, multimodal approaches are associated with improved functional outcomes. This systematic review followed the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Web of Science, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO were searched for studies published through December 2025 using terms related to ADHD, psychosocial interventions, and treatment settings. Eligible studies included children and adolescents with ADHD who received psychosocial interventions and reported quantitative outcomes. Forty-two studies met the eligibility criteria. Overall, multimodal psychosocial interventions were associated with improvements in core ADHD symptoms and reductions in long-term functional impairments. Although some longitudinal studies reported symptom recurrence over time, multimodal interventions generally demonstrated more favorable outcomes in behavioral regulation, academic performance, and social functioning than unimodal approaches. Psychosocial interventions integrating family, school, and clinical settings were associated with more comprehensive improvements in ADHD symptoms and functional outcomes than single-setting approaches. These findings support the continued development of coordinated, cross-context intervention models for children and adolescents with ADHD.
Findings the Hub has extracted
Each claim below is labelled by its type of design and links back to this report.
- Intervention
- Psychosocial interventions delivered in family, school and clinical settings, with a focus on combined (multimodal, cross-context) approaches compared with single-setting ones
- Population
- Children and adolescents with ADHD in 42 included studies; countries not stated in the abstract
Key finding
Multimodal interventions were associated with improved core ADHD symptoms and fewer long-term functional impairments.
Sun et al. · OpenAlex - Early Childhood · 5 Oct 2026