@article{ref1,
title="Omega-3 (ω-3) and social skills interventions for reactive aggression and childhood externalizing behavior problems: a randomized, stratified, double-blind, placebo-controlled, factorial trial",
journal="Psychological medicine",
year="2019",
author="Raine, Adrian and Ang, Rebecca P. and Choy, Olivia and Hibbeln, Joseph R. and Ho, Ringo M-H and Lim, Choon Guan and Lim-Ashworth, Nikki S. J. and Ling, Shichun and Liu, Jean C. J. and Ooi, Yoon Phaik and Tan, Yi Ren and Fung, Daniel S. S.",
volume="49",
number="2",
pages="335-344",
abstract="BACKGROUND: While studies suggest that nutritional supplementation may reduce aggressive behavior in children, few have examined their effects on specific forms of aggression. This study tests the primary hypothesis that omega-3 (ω-3), both alone and in conjunction with social skills training, will have particular post-treatment efficacy for reducing childhood reactive aggression relative to baseline. <br><br>METHODS: In this randomized, double-blind, stratified, placebo-controlled, factorial trial, a clinical sample of 282 children with externalizing behavior aged 7-16 years was randomized into ω-3 only, social skills only, ω-3 + social skills, and placebo control groups. Treatment duration was 6 months. The primary outcome measure was reactive aggression collected at 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months, with antisocial behavior as a secondary outcome. <br><br>RESULTS: Children in the ω-3-only group showed a short-term reduction (at 3 and 6 months) in self-report reactive aggression, and also a short-term reduction in overall antisocial behavior. Sensitivity analyses and a robustness check replicated significant interaction effects. Effect sizes (d) were small, ranging from 0.17 to 0.31. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Findings provide some initial support for the efficacy of ω-3 in reducing reactive aggression over and above standard care (medication and parent training), but yield only preliminary and limited support for the efficacy of ω-3 in reducing overall externalizing behavior in children. Future studies could test further whether ω-3 shows promise in reducing more reactive, impulsive forms of aggression.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0033-2917",
doi="10.1017/S0033291718000983",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0033291718000983"
}