TY - JOUR
T1 - Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
T2 - Do White Noise or Pink Noise Help With Task Performance in Youth With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder or With Elevated Attention Problems?
AU - Nigg, Joel T.
AU - Bruton, Alisha
AU - Kozlowski, Michael B.
AU - Johnstone, Jeanette
AU - Karalunas, Sarah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Objective: Public interest in the potential benefits of white, pink, and brown noise for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has recently mushroomed. White noise contains all frequencies of noise and sounds like static; pink or brown noise has more power in the lower frequencies and may sound, respectively, like rain or a waterfall. This meta-analysis evaluated effects on laboratory tasks in individuals with ADHD or elevated ADHD symptoms. Method: Eligible studies reported on participants with diagnosis of ADHD or elevated symptoms of ADHD who were assessed in a randomized trial using laboratory tasks intended to measure aspects of attention or academic work involving attention or executive function while exposed to white, pink, and brown noise and compared with a low/no noise condition. Two authors independently reviewed and screened studies for eligibility. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted with preplanned moderator analyses of age, diagnostic status, and task type. Publication bias was evaluated. The GRADE tool was used to assess certainty of the evidence. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate robustness. Results: Studies of children and college-age young adults with ADHD or ADHD symptoms (k = 13, N = 335) yielded a small but statistically significant benefit of white and pink noise on task performance (g = 0.249, 95% CI [0.135, 0.363], p < .0001). No studies of brown noise were identified. Heterogeneity was minimal, and moderators were nonsignificant; results survived sensitivity tests, and no publication bias was identified. In non-ADHD comparison groups (k = 11, N = 335), white and pink noise had a negative effect (g = −0.212, 95% CI [−0.355, −0.069], p = .0036). Conclusion: White and pink noise provide a small benefit on laboratory attention tasks for individuals with ADHD or high ADHD symptoms, but not for non-ADHD individuals. This article addresses theoretical implications, cautions, risks, and limitations. Study preregistration information: White Noise for ADHD: A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero; CRD42023393992.
AB - Objective: Public interest in the potential benefits of white, pink, and brown noise for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has recently mushroomed. White noise contains all frequencies of noise and sounds like static; pink or brown noise has more power in the lower frequencies and may sound, respectively, like rain or a waterfall. This meta-analysis evaluated effects on laboratory tasks in individuals with ADHD or elevated ADHD symptoms. Method: Eligible studies reported on participants with diagnosis of ADHD or elevated symptoms of ADHD who were assessed in a randomized trial using laboratory tasks intended to measure aspects of attention or academic work involving attention or executive function while exposed to white, pink, and brown noise and compared with a low/no noise condition. Two authors independently reviewed and screened studies for eligibility. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted with preplanned moderator analyses of age, diagnostic status, and task type. Publication bias was evaluated. The GRADE tool was used to assess certainty of the evidence. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to evaluate robustness. Results: Studies of children and college-age young adults with ADHD or ADHD symptoms (k = 13, N = 335) yielded a small but statistically significant benefit of white and pink noise on task performance (g = 0.249, 95% CI [0.135, 0.363], p < .0001). No studies of brown noise were identified. Heterogeneity was minimal, and moderators were nonsignificant; results survived sensitivity tests, and no publication bias was identified. In non-ADHD comparison groups (k = 11, N = 335), white and pink noise had a negative effect (g = −0.212, 95% CI [−0.355, −0.069], p = .0036). Conclusion: White and pink noise provide a small benefit on laboratory attention tasks for individuals with ADHD or high ADHD symptoms, but not for non-ADHD individuals. This article addresses theoretical implications, cautions, risks, and limitations. Study preregistration information: White Noise for ADHD: A Systematic Review And Meta-analysis; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero; CRD42023393992.
KW - arousal theory
KW - attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder
KW - meta-analysis
KW - white noise
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U2 - 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.12.014
DO - 10.1016/j.jaac.2023.12.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 38428577
AN - SCOPUS:85189552948
SN - 0890-8567
JO - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
JF - Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
ER -