Efficacy of chess training for the treatment of ADHD: A prospective, open label study.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the effectiveness of playing chess as a treatment option for children with ADHD.


METHODS
Parents of 44 children ages 6 to 17 with a primary diagnosis of ADHD consented to take part in the study. Parents completed the Spanish version of the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Scale for parents (SNAP-IV) and the Abbreviated Conner's Rating Scales for parents (CPRS-HI) prior to an 11-week chess-training program. We used a paired t-test to compare pre- and post-intervention outcomes, and Cohen-d calculations to measure the magnitude of the effect. The statistical significance was set at P<.05.


RESULTS
Children with ADHD improved in both the SNAP-IV (t=6.23; degrees of freedom (df)=41; P<.001) and the CPRS-HI (t=5.39; df=33; P<.001). Our results suggest a large effect in decreasing the severity of ADHD as measured by the SNAP-IV (d=0.85) and the CPRS-HI (d=0.85). Furthermore, we found a correlation between intelligence quotient and SNAP-IV improvement (P<.05).


CONCLUSIONS
The results of our pilot study should be interpreted with caution. This pilot project highlights the importance of carrying out larger studies with a case-control design. If our results are replicated in better designed studies, playing chess could be included within the multimodal treatment of ADHD.
Centro de Salud Mental de Villalba, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (IDIPHIM)-Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, España; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (CIBERSAM), Madrid, España; Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, España; Consulting Asistencial Sociosanitario (CAS). Electronic address: hmblasco@yahoo.es.
Hilario
H
Blasco-Fontecilla
Centro de Salud Mental de Villalba, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (IDIPHIM)-Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, España.
Marisa
M
Gonzalez-Perez
Centro de Salud Mental de Villalba, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (IDIPHIM)-Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, España.
Raquel
R
Garcia-Lopez
Centro de Salud Mental de Villalba, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (IDIPHIM)-Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, España.
Belen
B
Poza-Cano
Departamento de Psiquiatría, Hospital Clínico, Madrid, España.
Maria Rosario
MR
Perez-Moreno
Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria (IIS)-Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, España.
Victoria
V
de Leon-Martinez
Centro de Salud Mental de Villalba, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Puerta de Hierro Majadahonda (IDIPHIM)-Hospital Universitario Puerta de Hierro, Madrid, España.
Jose
J
Otero-Perez
D000293:Adolescent; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D000068957:Games, Recreational; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome
ADHD; Ajedrez; Chess; Trastorno por déficit de atención e hiperactividad; Tratamiento multimodal; Treatment