Comparison of Auricular Therapy with Sham in Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objectives: Several studies have shown the clinical effects of auricular therapy for some neuropsychological disorders. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of auricular therapy with the sham procedure in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Design: Randomized sham-controlled trial. Settings/Location: Welfare Centers of Tehran (Iran). Subjects: Fifty children with ADHD (6-14 years old). Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned into two groups to receive either auricular therapy (Group A) or a sham procedure (Group B) once a week for 6 weeks. Outcome measures: The Children Symptom Inventory (CSI-4) and the parent's version of the Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale were used to assess the severity of symptoms of attention deficit (AD) and hyperactivity (HA). Outcome evaluation data was obtained at the first and seventh weeks after the interventions. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Friedman and Mann-Whitney U tests. Results: There were 23 patients in group A and 21 patients in group B who completed the study. Based on the CSI-4 assessment, AD scores decreased from the mean (±standard deviation) of 18.39 (±5.44) to 15.39 (±5.89), p = 0.006 in group A, whereas the mean AD scores for group B only changed from 15.0 (±6.4) to 14.9 (±5.94), p = 0.55 in group B. In addition, the mean of the HA scores decreased from 18.0 (±6.73) to 13.3 (±6.75), p = 0.001 in group A, whereas the change in HA scores in group B only diminished and from 11.85 (±6.44) to 11.45 (±5.44), p = 0.74. The CSI-4 assessments and the scores on the Conners questionnaire significantly decreased after the first week of intervention (p = 0.04) in group A, but not in group B. No side effects were observed. Conclusion: Subjects who received auricular therapy in acupuncture points achieved a statistically significant greater reduction in AD and HA symptoms when compared with subjects who received sham acupuncture points.