Overview of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of serious games for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

YANG Xinyu; WANG Shuling; LI Xin; WANG Jiacheng; LI Zhuoyue; PANG Wei

doi:10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1244

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2026, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6) : 642-648. DOI: 10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1244

Special Column on Attention-Dificit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Overview of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of serious games for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

YANG Xinyu¹, WANG Shuling², LI Xin^1,2, WANG Jiacheng¹, LI Zhuoyue¹, PANG Wei^1,2

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Abstract

Objective To systematically evaluate the intervention effects and current application status of serious games as digital therapeutics for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in order to provide evidence-based support for clinical practice and future research. Methods Chinese and English databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Embase, IEEE Xplore, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and CNKI, were searched for systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 2015 and 2025 on serious game interventions for children with ADHD. The PICO framework was employed to define the research elements. Two reviewers independently conducted study selection, data extraction, and methodological quality assessment. The quality of the included reviews was appraised using AMSTAR 2. Results A total of 8 systematic reviews/meta-analyses were included. The interventions mainly involved cognitive training, neurofeedback, somatosensory interaction, and virtual/augmented reality. Current evidence suggests that serious games may provide potential benefits in improving executive function and core symptoms in children with ADHD, and may also show positive trends in certain aspects of social functioning and academic performance. In addition, serious games were generally associated with high participation and acceptability. However, limitations remain in the maintenance of long-term effects, individualized adaptation, and methodological quality. Conclusions Serious games may serve as a promising digital intervention for children with ADHD, particularly in improving selected cognitive-behavioral outcomes and treatment adherence. Future efforts should focus on optimizing game design, enhancing technology integration, standardizing research methodologies, and exploring integrated application with other non-pharmacological intervention models to advance the scientific and personalized use of serious games in ADHD rehabilitation.

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serious games / attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder / children / digital therapeutics / overview of systematic reviews

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YANG Xinyu, WANG Shuling, LI Xin, WANG Jiacheng, LI Zhuoyue, PANG Wei. Overview of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of serious games for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2026, 34(6): 642-648 https://doi.org/10.11852/zgetbjzz2025-1244

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