Exercise trial reported fewer suicidal thoughts and sleep problems in adolescents with ADHD
A randomized trial assessed adolescents' suicidal thoughts and parents' reports of sleep problems after an aerobic activity program.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Adolescents with ADHD assigned to aerobic activity reported fewer suicidal thoughts, and parents reported fewer sleep problems, in a randomized trial. These findings concern questionnaire scores at the end of the program. They do not establish fewer suicide attempts, recovery from a diagnosed sleep disorder or lasting changes after the program ended.
This abstract-based summary cannot judge the size of the questionnaire changes. Follow-up stopped at the program's end, leaving persistence of the reported changes unknown.
What researchers found
Suicidal thoughts on a self-report questionnaire
Baseline to the immediate end of 12 weeks, in an exercise-versus-control repeated-measures analysis.
How outcomes were assessed
The activity group attended a 60-minute aerobic session each week. Adolescents rated their own suicidal thoughts, while parents rated sleep disturbances, so the outcomes reflect different reporters' observations.
Which sleep reports changed
Reported sleep improvements included less bedtime resistance, sleep anxiety and night waking, as well as lower scores for sleep-disordered breathing. The abstract does not describe objective measurements of sleep or breathing.
The original publication
Effects of physical activity on suicidal ideation and sleep disturbances in adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A randomized controlled trial.
Liu C, Wong SH, Arbour-Nicitopoulos K et al.
J Affect Disord · 2026
- PubMed ID
- 41067651
- Record checked
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