Effectiveness of the Serious Video Game MOON in Emotional Regulation in ADHD

Strenghts and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) for parents

Introduction: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common
 neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood and adolescence (5%) with associated difficulties
 and worse prognosis if undetected. Multimodal treatment is the treatment of choice, however,
 sometimes it can be insufficient or have some drawbacks.
 
 Objective: To demonstrate the effectiveness of cognitive training through the video game 'The
 Secret Trail of Moon' (MOON) in improving emotional regulation of ADHD in people aged 7 to 18
 years.
 
 Hypotheses: H1: ADHD patients using MOON improve their emotional regulation more than the
 control group; H2: ADHD patients using MOON improve in symptomatology with respect to the
 control group; H3: ADHD patients using MOON improve their cognitive abilities than the
 control group; H4: ADHD patients using MOON improve in academic performance with respect to
 the control group; H5: The change of platform (face-to-face, online) does not entail
 differences in emotional regulation; H6: There are no side effects associated with the video
 game.
 
 Methods: Design: prospective, unicenter, randomized, unblinded, PRE-POST intervention study.
 Randomization of the groups (MOON vs. Control) will be performed by electronic CRD. The MOON
 intervention will be performed 2 times/week for 10 weeks (30 minutes/session). The first five
 weeks (10 sessions) will be conducted face-to-face; the remaining weeks will be conducted
 online at the participants' home.
 
 Sample: 152 patients with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD (CGI between 3 and 6) with
 pharmacological treatment.
 
 Evaluation: a data collection notebook will be used to obtain demographic and clinical data.
 The data will be recorded with electronic CRD (REDCap). Measures to answer the hypotheses
 will be made through clinical scales for parents and objective tests of cognitive abilities
 in patients. Additional information on academic performance will be collected.
 
 Statistical power analysis: The study has a power greater than 80% to detect differences.
 
 Statistical analysis: Classical statistics: T student, 2-factor ANOVA and Mann Whitney
 analyses will be performed according to the characteristics of each variable.
 
 Ethics: The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital Universitario
 Puerta de Hierro on December 14th, 2022. The authorization of the Spanish Agency of Medicines
 and Health Products was February 14th, 2023. Informed consent will be requested from legal
 guardians and minors protecting their personal data to the provisions of the Organic Law
 3/2018 of 5 December, on Personal Data Protection and guarantee of digital rights.