مقایسه توانبخشی شناختی و دارودرمانی بر توجه و حافظه کاری کودکان مبتلا به اختلال کم‌توجهی/بیش‌فعالی

زینب اکبری; سیدعلی  آل یاسین; حسن حیدری; حسین  داوودی

Authors

Zeynab Akbari Department of Psychology and Counseling, Khom.C., Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7334-0896
Seyed Ali Al Yasin Department of Clinical Psychology, Ash.C., Islamic Azad University, Ashtian, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3655-1897
Hasan Heidari Department of Psychology and Counseling, Khom.C., Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3175-5767
Hossein Davoodi Department of Psychology and Counseling, Khom.C., Islamic Azad University, Khomein, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0164-2908

Keywords:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Cognitive Rehabilitation, Pharmacotherapy, Attention, Working Memory

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation and pharmacotherapy on attention and working memory in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Methodology: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest follow-up and a control group. The statistical population consisted of children with ADHD in the city of Sari, Iran, who were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: cognitive rehabilitation, pharmacotherapy, and control, with 15 participants in each group. The research instruments included the Stroop Test for assessing attention and the N-back Test for evaluating working memory. The cognitive rehabilitation group participated in structured cognitive training sessions, whereas the pharmacotherapy group received routine medication treatment prescribed for ADHD. The control group did not receive any intervention during the study period. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures multivariate analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests at the significance level of 0.05.

Findings: The findings demonstrated that both cognitive rehabilitation and pharmacotherapy significantly improved attention and working memory scores at the posttest stage compared with the pretest stage (P < 0.001). However, the magnitude of improvement was significantly greater in the cognitive rehabilitation group compared with the pharmacotherapy and control groups. Repeated-measures ANOVA revealed significant effects of time, group, and time-by-group interaction for both attention and working memory variables. Furthermore, Bonferroni comparisons indicated significant differences between pretest and posttest scores as well as between pretest and follow-up scores, whereas no significant difference was observed between posttest and follow-up stages, suggesting the relative stability of treatment effects over time.

Conclusion: The results suggest that cognitive rehabilitation is an effective and relatively stable intervention for improving attention and working memory in children with ADHD and may demonstrate superiority over pharmacotherapy in certain cognitive indices. Therefore, integrating cognitive rehabilitation as either an independent intervention or a complementary approach alongside pharmacotherapy may enhance cognitive, academic, and behavioral functioning in children with ADHD.

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