Cochrane · systematic review · CD009885
Methylphenidate for children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Storebø, OJ, Storm, MR, Pereira Ribeiro, J, et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2023 · Cochrane Library
SoF tableOnly the outcomes this review put in its Summary of Findings table are listed (the Cochrane Handbook caps them at about seven per comparison). Its other analyses are not shown here.
Questions
5
current version
GRADE rated
5
No studies
0
Included studies
NR
No studies 0 · 0%Ungraded 0 · 0%Very low 5 · 100%Low 0 · 0%Moderate 0 · 0%High 0 · 0%
Ungraded means an effect was reported without a GRADE rating; it is not a gap. No studies means the review found nothing to answer the question. The six categories are a display order, not a score.
Questions and results
Current version onlyMethylphenidate compared with placebo or no intervention for children and adolescents with ADHD
Population: children and adolescents (up to and including 18 years of age) with ADHD
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
ADHD symptoms: all parallel‐group trials and first‐period cross‐over trialsADHD Rating Scale (teacher‐rated) Average trial duration: 68.7 days Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | no estimate extracted | 21 studies · 1728 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Proportion of participants with one or more serious adverse events Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | RR 0.8 [0.39, 1.67] | 26 studies · 3673 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Proportion of participants with one or more adverse events considered non‐serious Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | RR 1.23 [1.11, 1.37] | 35 studies · 5342 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
General behaviour: all parallel‐group trials and first‐period cross‐over trialsGeneral behaviour rating scales (teacher‐rated) Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | no estimate extracted | 7 studies · 792 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency, indirectness |
Quality of life (parent‐rated) Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | SMD 0.4 | 4 studies · 608 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency, indirectness |
Methylphenidate compared with placebo or no intervention for ADHD
Population: children and adolescents (up to and including 18 years of age) with ADHD
| Outcome | Effect | Evidence | Status / GRADE |
|---|---|---|---|
ADHD symptoms: all parallel‐group trials and first‐period cross‐over trials ADHD Rating Scale (Teacher‐rated) Average study duration: 74.8 days Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | no estimate extracted | 19 studies · 1698 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
Total number of serious adverse events Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | RR 0.98 [0.44, 2.22] | 9 studies · 1532 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision |
Total number of non‐serious adverse events Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | RR 1.29 [1.1, 1.51] | 21 studies · 3132 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency |
General behaviour: all parallel‐group trials and first‐period cross‐over trials General behaviour rating scales (Teacher‐rated) Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | no estimate extracted | 5 studies · 668 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, indirectness |
Quality of life (Parent‐rated) Methylphenidate vs placebo or no intervention | SMD 0.61 [0.42, 0.8] | 3 studies · 514 participants | Very low Downgraded: risk of bias |