JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The development of objective assessment tools for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has attracted significant attention in recent years.

Objective:

This study was conducted to examine the relationships between parental ratings of ADHD symptoms and the Virtual Reality Attention Tracker (VRAT) performance.

Methods:

425 school-aged children were recruited. They had an evaluation using the Swanson Nolan and Pelham, Version IV Scale-Parent Scales (SNAP-IV), the Conners' Parent Rating Scale Revised in Chinese (CPRS-48) and the VRAT test. Bivariate correlational analysis was conducted to examine the associations between the scores of the VRAT and scores of the SNAP-IV or CPRS-48 to determine the capacity of VRAT to mirror real-life attention behaviors. Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to examine the differences in VRAT, SNAP-IV, and CPRS-48 scores by gender to determine whether performance varied across the tests. The discriminative capacities of the different measures of VRAT were evaluated via Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis.

Results:

VRAT shows several correlations with the SNAP-IV subscales and the CPRS-48 subscales. Participants with higher SNAP-IV inattention and hyperactivity scores exhibited lower VRAT attention and motion performance index (all p < 0.001). For the CPRS-48, significant correlations were noted with conduct problems, learning problems, psychosomatic problems, impulsivity-hyperactivity, and attention index, particularly with attention performance index and motion performance index (all p < 0.05). Gender differences were significant in attention and hyperactivity measures of the SNAP-IV and CPRS-48, while only latency showed gender differences in the VRAT. Additionally, the ROC analysis indicated that the key performance metrics of VRAT showed exceptional discriminatory power, with Aarea Under the Curve (AUC) values varying from 0.56 to 0.74.

Conclusions:

The VRAT shows promise in evaluating ADHD symptoms. We also recommend utilizing a variety of assessment techniques to comprehensively evaluate school-aged children displaying symptoms of inattentiveness and hyperactivity/impulsivity. This approach should include the use of rating scales to identify ADHD symptoms, in conjunction with Virtual Rreality (VR) performance-based assessments.