Motivational Strategies in Digital Interventions for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Scoping Review
4 affiliations
- 1Public Health, Bjørnholt Upper Secondary School, Oslo, NOR
- 2Public Health, Yasmina British Academy, Abu Dhabi, ARE
- 3College of Medicine, Brighton and Sussex Medical School, Brighton, GBR
- 4Psychology, Happiness Matters, Dubai, ARE
Abstract
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with impairments in executive functioning and difficulties sustaining attention and goal-directed behaviour. Digital interventions offer a promising avenue for addressing these difficulties because they can modulate task demands and deliver immediate reinforcement, although evidence for their superiority over conventional interventions remains limited. This scoping review mapped the motivational strategies, defined as discrete intervention features intended to encourage engagement, participation, persistence, or responsiveness, distinct from the underlying cognitive training itself, incorporated into digital interventions targeting executive functioning and ADHD-related outcomes in children aged 6-12 years. Six studies published between 2018 and 2026, identified through a PubMed search, met the inclusion criteria. Five were randomized controlled trials, and one was a pilot study. All six studies reported immediate feedback, five reported adaptive difficulty, four reported points or scores, and three reported in-game rewards and progress tracking. Each of virtual currency, narrative, customization, and explicit positive reinforcement was reported in one of six studies. Competitive leaderboards were reported in none. Although all six studies reported improvement in at least one outcome, heterogeneity in intervention design and outcome assessment, together with the very limited evidence base and the single-database search, precluded attribution of these findings to specific motivational strategies. It remains a hypothesis, rather than an established finding, that motivational design may influence how children interpret performance, regulate effort, and persist when faced with cognitive demand. Future research should examine motivational strategies as distinct components of intervention design and determine whether particular strategies are associated with sustained engagement and improvements in executive functioning or ADHD-related outcomes.
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BibTeX
@article{ali2026motivational,
title = {{Motivational Strategies in Digital Interventions for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Scoping Review}},
author = {Nailah Ali and Shreehari Shreedhar and Patricia Oconnell and Louise Lambert},
journal = {Cureus},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.7759/cureus.117722},
url = {https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117722},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Motivational Strategies in Digital Interventions for Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Scoping Review
AU - Nailah Ali
AU - Shreehari Shreedhar
AU - Patricia Oconnell
AU - Louise Lambert
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/10
JO - Cureus
DO - 10.7759/cureus.117722
UR - https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.117722
AB - Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is associated with impairments in executive functioning and difficulties sustaining attention and goal-directed behaviour. Digital interventions offer a promising avenue for addressing these difficulties because they can modulate task demands and deliver immediate reinforcement, although evidence for their superiority over conventional interventions remains limited. This scoping review mapped the motivational strategies, defined as discrete intervention features intended to encourage engagement, participation, persistence, or responsiveness, distinct from the underlying cognitive training itself, incorporated into digital interventions targeting executive functioning and ADHD-related outcomes in children aged 6-12 years. Six studies published between 2018 and 2026, identified through a PubMed search, met the inclusion criteria. Five were randomized controlled trials, and one was a pilot study. All six studies reported immediate feedback, five reported adaptive difficulty, four reported points or scores, and three reported in-game rewards and progress tracking. Each of virtual currency, narrative, customization, and explicit positive reinforcement was reported in one of six studies. Competitive leaderboards were reported in none. Although all six studies reported improvement in at least one outcome, heterogeneity in intervention design and outcome assessment, together with the very limited evidence base and the single-database search, precluded attribution of these findings to specific motivational strategies. It remains a hypothesis, rather than an established finding, that motivational design may influence how children interpret performance, regulate effort, and persist when faced with cognitive demand. Future research should examine motivational strategies as distinct components of intervention design and determine whether particular strategies are associated with sustained engagement and improvements in executive functioning or ADHD-related outcomes.
SN - 2168-8184
ER -