Date Submitted
7-15-2026
Faculty Advisor
Sarah Getch
Abstract
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is well-established as an effective psychological intervention in adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, it was not yet understood the degree to which specific outcome domains (i.e., symptomatology and functional outcomes) consistently improved across randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A systematic literature review was conducted to examine the current literature base for the effectiveness of CBT RCTs on adult ADHD, specifically determining the consistency of effectiveness across symptomatology, functional impairment, and executive functioning outcome domains. This review aimed to determine which ADHD-related outcomes showed the most consistent improvement for adults treated with CBT, assisting in the guidance of treatment recommendations. The PICO (population, intervention, comparison, outcome) model was used to set systematic guidelines for inclusion criteria, and databases which were recorded throughout the process. Eight RCTs met inclusion criteria, with findings demonstrating that symptomatology was the most consistently associated with improvements in response to CBT. Executive functioning and functional impairment outcomes showed more variable and mixed findings. The results from this research helped to determine the ADHD-related outcomes that yielded the most and least improvements in response to CBT, making it possible to refine and adjust treatment recommendations.
