Comparing the Effects of Different-Color Environmental Perceptual-Motor Exercises on Mood in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention–Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is among the most prevalent childhood conditions. ADHD is characterized by attention deficit, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. ADHD is a behavioral disorder with special features and different effects on mood. Mood critically impacts mental issues and is a major factor in improving individuals’ quality of life. Moods are transient as an emotional state; their fluctuations depend on environmental conditions. Thus, the color of the environment might influence these factors. Colors present various effects on mood states. Individuals with ADHD encounter difficulty in perceiving environmental colors. Besides, exercise positively affects ADHD. Therefore, the current study aimed to compare the effects of perceptual–motor exercises in environments with different colors on mood in children with ADHD.

This was a quasi–experimental study with a pretest–posttest design. Sample size, using G*Power statistical software based on Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), to perform the test at a significant level of 5% (α=0.05), with a test power of 80% (β=0.2), large effect size (d=0.5), and the number of the group was measures as 42 subjects. Considering an additional sample in each group due to the possible loss or distortion of the results, 45 subjects were selected to participate in the study. The study participants consisted of 45 children, aged 7–10 years who were selected using a multistage sampling method. Initially, calls were made to schools, health centers, psychology clinics, and social networks, and referrals were screened using The Revised Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (Conners et al., 1998). Accordingly, children who scored above 34 on this questionnaire were assessed by a psychologist and their ADHD diagnosis was confirmed. The research subjects were then randomly divided into 3 groups of 15 individuals as follows: training group in an environment with warm colors (red & orange), a cold–color environment (blue & green), and a hybrid environment (red, orange, blue, & green). All research participants completed the Mood and Feelings Questionnaire (Angold & Costello, 1987) at pretest and posttest stages. The study participants were assigned to the training groups (exercise in an environment with warm, & hybrid colors) and practiced their exercises. The training included 8 weeks of three one–hour weekly sessions of motor–perceptual training with the same training protocol. For data analysis, descriptive (i.e., mean & standard deviation) and inferential (i.e., ANCOVA & Bonferroni posthoc test) were applied in SPSS. A significance level of 0.05 was considered for all tests.

There was a significant difference between the 3 study groups of perceptual–motor training in warm, cold, and mixed color environments concerning negative mood at posttest after removing the pretest effects (p=0.007). Additionally, the mean score of negative mood in the warm–colored environment group was higher than that in the cold–colored environment group (p=0.039). Furthermore, there was a significant difference between the warm–colored environment and mixed environment groups respecting the extent of negative mood (p=0.007); however, there was no significant difference between the cold color environment and the combined environment groups in this regard (p=1.000).

According to the current study findings, children with ADHD, in an environment with warm colors presented further negative mood, indicating the effects of ambient colors on psychological status.