Exercise for stress relief in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Efficacy of short-term physical exercise intervention on stress biomarkers and mental health in adolescents with ADHD: a randomized controlled trial

Status

Active, not recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Interventional

Source

ISRCTN

Registry ID

ISRCTN14666639

Enrollment

Registered

2025-07-18

Start date

2022-09-11

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2025-11-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Mental health in adolescents with ADHD Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Interventions

Physical Exercise (PE) group – cognitively engaging physical exercise programme Enrolment and randomisation: After parents and participants consent and baseline measures (T0), participants were random

venue was the Chinese University of Hong Kong gymnasium. • Follow up: Outcome assessments immediately post intervention (T1) and 3 months later (T2). • Adherence strategies: Attendance certificate and

asked not to engage in any new organised PE programme for three weeks. • Same outcome assessments at baseline(T0), immediately after PE intervention (T1), three months later (T2).

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: 1. Clinically diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder 2. With or without autism comorbidity 3. An IQ of 70 or above

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Neurological and intellectual impairments

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Salivary cortisol concentration measured with a high sensitivity Salimetrics® ELISA (µg/dL) at baseline (T0), immediately post-intervention (T1) and 3 months post-intervention (T2)	—

Secondary

Measure	Time frame
The secondary outcome measures are assessed at T0, T1, and T2: 1. Self-reported stress score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21) 2. Self-reported anxiety score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21) 3. Self-reported depression score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21)	—

Measure

Time frame

The secondary outcome measures are assessed at T0, T1, and T2: 1. Self-reported stress score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21) 2. Self-reported anxiety score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21) 3. Self-reported depression score measured with the Chinese version of the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21 (DASS 21)

—

Countries

Hong Kong

Contacts

Public Contactsima Dastamooz

simadastamooz@link.cuhk.edu.hk+852 3943 0695

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ISRCTN (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026