The Effectiveness of "Cognitive Rehabilitation" Training on Mind Reading in Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Mind reading is one of the problems of hyperactive people. Understanding oneself and others is essential for effective social interactions, which plays an important role in the health of interpersonal relationships. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of "Cognitive Rehabilitation" training on mind reading in adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in 2019.

This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all students with ADHD between the ages of 20 and 40 in the Islamic Azad University of Zanjan in 2019. The research sample was 24 people who were identified by available sampling and were divided into two groups by simple random method (simple lottery). 12 people were considered in the intervention group  and 12 people were considered as the control group. Research instruments included a demographic questionnaire, the “Barkley Adult ADHD Rating Scale”, and the” Reading the Mind in the Eyes”. Content validity index as well as reliability were measured by internal consistency method by calculating Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient.Cognitive rehabilitation" training included 36 software training exercises and 24 manual exercises (pencil-paper) focusing on memory, attention, inhibition and mind reading. The intervention group received 19 sessions of 45 minutes of cognitive rehabilitation training. Data were analyzed in SPSS software version 24.

There was a statistically significant difference between the control and intervention groups in the mind reading variable (P=0.001, F=173.14) after the intervention. The effect size also showed that about 43% of the differences observed in the mind reading variable were due to group membership (intervention).

“Cognitive Rehabilitation” training can affect the mind reading of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Therefore, it is suggested to use “Cognitive Rehabilitation” training to promote health and improve interpersonal and family relationships of hyperactive adults.