Providing choice boosts immediate force production in adolescents with ADHD

Children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often struggle with motor skill performance, which can reduce their participation in sports and physical activities. This may be due to a lack of personal relevance and a sensitivity to controlling environments that reduce motivation. Since autonomy support has been shown to enhance motor performance across different motor tasks and populations, this study aimed to investigate its effects on the immediate motor performance of adolescents with ADHD during a maximum force production task. Twenty-six adolescents aged 13 to 15 (mean age = 14.1 years, 20 boys and 6 girls) participated in a within-subjects experimental design, where each performed six maximum force attempts (three attempts each hand) using a dynamometer under two conditions: choice and no-choice. In the choice condition, participants selected the order in which they used their preferred and non-preferred hands, while in the no-choice condition, they completed six attempts in an order that matched the sequence chosen by the previous participant. A 20-s rest was given between each attempt. Once participants had finished six attempts in each condition, they were asked to fill out the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory. The results showed that maximum force production, as well as self-reported interest/enjoyment, and perceived competence, were all higher in the choice condition compared to the no-choice condition. No significant differences were found in the perception of choice or pressure/tension. These findings suggest that even small opportunities for autonomy-support can improve motor performance and positively influence factors that predict intrinsic motivation specifically, interest/enjoyment and perceived competence, in adolescents with ADHD.