The Effectiveness of Story- and Quiz-Based Games in Digital Interventions for ADHD: A Comparative Approach

The content in digital intervention therapies for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requires various technical elements to interest and motivate the children. Their structure is often quiz-based, which allows easy access to quantitative assessments. However, in this study, I verify the effectiveness of digital intervention therapy by implementing story-based game content with active participation. In this study, 48 children aged 6 to 13 years diagnosed with ADHD were recruited and assigned to experimental (story-based content) and control (quiz-based content) groups; their attention improvements were compared. The improvement in attention was assessed by comparing the change rate of the Comprehension Attention Test (CAT) and Korean ADHD Rating Scale (K-ARS) scores before and after the intervention. At 4 weeks, the CAT score change rate was significantly different between the groups (p = 0.039, p = 0.040); the CAT score change rate before and after the intervention was significantly greater in the experimental than in the control group (p = 0.038). After adjusting for the baseline, the experimental group showed a significantly greater reduction in the K-ARS impulsivity and total K-ARS scores compared with the control group (p = 0.018, p = 0.012). Therefore, story-based content is more effective than quiz-based content in digital intervention therapy for children with ADHD.