Effectiveness of the Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT) Program on Behavioral Problems in Children Aged ۷ to ۹ Years with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the CRT program on behavioral problems in children with ADHD. This research was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all children aged ۷ to ۹ years diagnosed with ADHD in Ahvaz in ۲۰۲۴. From this population, ۳۰ children were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The CRT intervention was delivered in ten ۶۰-minute sessions, one session per week, for the experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance) were used for data analysis, employing SPSS version ۲۶. The results indicated that the CRT intervention had a significant effect on the variables of anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, and aggressive behavior, leading to improvement in these problems in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < .۰۵). However, the intervention did not have a significant effect on somatic complaints or rule-breaking behavior. The findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of the CRT program as an intervention method for reducing several behavioral problems in children with ADHD. Accordingly, implementing this program alongside other psychological and educational interventions in clinical and school settings is recommended for this group of children. Nevertheless, the lack of impact on some areas, such as somatic complaints, highlights the necessity of complementing CRT with additional approaches or designing more specialized sessions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the CRT program on behavioral problems in children with ADHD. This research was a quasi-experimental study using a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all children aged ۷ to ۹ years diagnosed with ADHD in Ahvaz in ۲۰۲۴. From this population, ۳۰ children were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The CRT intervention was delivered in ten ۶۰-minute sessions, one session per week, for the experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance) were used for data analysis, employing SPSS version ۲۶. The results indicated that the CRT intervention had a significant effect on the variables of anxiety/depression, withdrawal/depression, social problems, thought problems, attention problems, and aggressive behavior, leading to improvement in these problems in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < .۰۵). However, the intervention did not have a significant effect on somatic complaints or rule-breaking behavior. The findings of this study confirm the effectiveness of the CRT program as an intervention method for reducing several behavioral problems in children with ADHD. Accordingly, implementing this program alongside other psychological and educational interventions in clinical and school settings is recommended for this group of children. Nevertheless, the lack of impact on some areas, such as somatic complaints, highlights the necessity of complementing CRT with additional approaches or designing more specialized sessions.

Keywords:

attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder , behavioral problems , cognitive remediation therapy