Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39946958›Full record

Trial reportResearch in developmental disabilities2025

Impact of fidget devices on anxiety and physiological responses in adults with ADHD.

Heather Elahi, Ha Min Son, Catrina A Calub, Nahid Nasiri, Daniel Shapiro, Katherine Isbister, Jared Borden, Paul D Hastings, Xin Liu, Julie B Schweitzer

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Research in developmental disabilities, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Heather ElahiDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States. Electronic address: helahi@ucdavis.edu.
Ha Min SonDepartment of Computer Science, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
Catrina A CalubDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.
Nahid NasiriDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States.
Daniel ShapiroDepartment of Computational Media, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States.
Katherine IsbisterDepartment of Computational Media, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, United States.
Jared BordenDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.
Paul D HastingsDepartment of Psychology and Center for Mind and Brain, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
Xin LiuDepartment of Computer Science, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, United States.
Julie B SchweitzerDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States; MIND Institute, University of California, Davis. 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.

Funding

Interdisciplinary Training for Autism Researchers(RMI)T32MH073124 · NIMH · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS · PI Stephen Charles Noctor, Christine Wu Nordahl · 2004 to 2026
$6.8M
NIMH NIH HHS T32 MH073124
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFidgeting devices are popular for managing ADHD, but their effectiveness remains unclear. This study investigated whether fidgeting modulates self-regulation in adults with ADHD during stress, exploring intrinsic versus extrinsic fidgeting with a fidget ball. We hypothesized that individuals with a fidget ball would demonstrate improved self-regulation under stress, reflected by higher heart rate variability (HRV) and lower anxiety levels.

methodsAdults with ADHD were randomly assigned to a fidget ball (n = 49) or no fidget ball (n = 24) group. Physiological stress was measured via HRV and intrinsic fidgeting, that is, ankle and wrist movements, were measured via actigraphy. Physiological data were collected at baseline and during the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Self-rated anxiety was measured using the State Anxiety Inventory.

resultsHeart rate and fidgeting increased across TSST stages for both groups, with no significant differences in heart rate, HRV, or intrinsic fidgeting between groups. Notably, the fidget ball group had weaker correlations between fidgeting and HRV compared to the no fidget ball group. At baseline, the no fidget ball group showed a positive correlation between intrinsic fidgeting and HRV, suggesting an association between intrinsic fidgeting and self-regulation, however during stress the no fidget ball group showed a significant negative correlation between intrinsic fidgeting and HRV. The relationship between physiological measures and anxiety differed between groups and TSST stages.

conclusionsThese results provide preliminary evidence that the fidget ball may disrupt the expected association between intrinsic fidgeting and HRV, emphasizing the need for further studies to explore its impact on self-regulation.

Indexed as

AnxietyAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityHeart RateSelf-ControlStress, PsychologicalActigraphyAdultFemaleHumansMaleYoung AdultADHDAnxietyFidgetingHeart rate variabilitySelf-regulationStress

Identifiers

PMID39946958
PMCPMC13232519

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.