Explore the Effects of Pharmacological, Psychosocial, and Alternative /Complementary Interventions in Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Meta-regression Approach.

Background Till now, there have been various therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the previous meta-analysis of ADHD efficacy remains unclear. This study aims to systemically meta-regress the effect sizes of psychostimulant pharmacotherapy (methylphenidate and lisdexamfetamine), non-stimulant pharmacotherapy (atomoxetine and alpha-2 agonists), psychosocial therapy (parental behavioral therapy [PBT]), combination therapy (psychostimulant plus PBT), and alternative/complementary interventions to determine the right treatment for ADHD. Methods We searched various ADHD interventions from the MEDLINE and PubMed databases (National Center for Biotechnology Information) between January 1, 1980 and July 30, 2018. Following the meta-analysis of random effects, the meta-regression analyses were used to explore factors potentially influencing treatment efficacy. The confounding variables included type of treatment, type of study, age, type of symptom scale used, and year of publication. Results A total of 107 trials (N = 9883 participants) were included. After adjustment, compared to the psychostimulant therapy (28 trial, 2134 participants), non-stimulant pharmacotherapy (28 trials, 4991 participants) and alternative/complement intervention (25 trials, 1195 participants) were less effective by the effect sizes (ES) of -0.384 (p = 0.004) and -0.419 (p = 0.028) respectively. However, compared to psychostimulant, PBT (19 trials, 1122 participants; ES = -0.308, p = 0.095) and combination of psychostimulant and PBT (7 trials, 441participants; ES = -0.196, p = 0.209) did not differ significantly. Conclusions Psychostimulant therapy surpassed non-stimulant pharmacotherapy and alternative/complement intervention. Psychostimulant therapy, PBT, and combination of psychostimulant therapy and PBT appear to be similar in efficacy according to this meta-regression.