EFFECTS OF A POSTURE CORRECTION PROGRAM ON COGNITIVE FATIGUE IN SCREEN EXPOSED ADULTS WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL

For adults, having trouble reaching a level of mental effort may make screen viewing time more challenging due to these factors in adults: fatigue and forward head posture related to ADHD. This randomized controlled trial aimed to assess the effects of a structured posture correction program in addition to an educational physiotherapy program on cognitive fatigue in adults with ADHD who are exposed to screens. We used lotto system to randomize the 60 university students aged between 22 to 27 years (Mean = 23.35, SD = 1.22) into two groups, one experimental group to practice posture correction along with normal physiotherapy (n = 30) and one control group for normal physiotherapy (n = 30). These two groups underwent 16 weeks of training, 3 times per week. Cognitive fatigue measured by Mental Fatigue Scale (MFS), ADHD symptoms measured by Adult ADHD Self Report Scale (ASRS) and forward head posture by craniovertebral angle (CVA). Baseline means were 14.74 (SD = 2.62) for the MFS, 22.30 (SD = 2.68) for the ASRS, and 34.44° (SD = 5.21°) for the CVA. Since the Shapiro Wilk test showed that the distributions were not normal, the changes were compared using Mann Whitney tests. The experimental group improved more on the MFS (p = .029, r = .28), the ASRS (p = .043, r = .26), and the CVA (p = .009, r = .34). Holm adjustment was used; only the CVA difference was significant (adjusted statistic p = .027). The results indicate that posture correction may have a small benefit but the evidence for cognition fatigue reduction is preliminary, with potential to larger trials with objective measures.