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
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 h...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2020
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| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138027 |
| _version_ | 1826126009774112768 |
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| author | Raine, Adrian Ang, Rebecca P. Choy, Olivia Hibbeln, Joseph R. Ho, Ringo M.-H. Lim, Choon Guan Lim-Ashworth, Nikki S. J. Ling, Shichun Liu, Jean C. J. Ooi, Yoon Phaik Tan, Yi Ren Fung, Daniel S. S. |
| author2 | School of Social Sciences |
| author_facet | School of Social Sciences Raine, Adrian Ang, Rebecca P. Choy, Olivia Hibbeln, Joseph R. Ho, Ringo M.-H. Lim, Choon Guan Lim-Ashworth, Nikki S. J. Ling, Shichun Liu, Jean C. J. Ooi, Yoon Phaik Tan, Yi Ren Fung, Daniel S. S. |
| author_sort | Raine, Adrian |
| collection | NTU |
| description | 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. 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. 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. 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:45:45Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | ntu-10356/138027 |
| institution | Nanyang Technological University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-10-01T06:45:45Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ntu-10356/1380272020-04-22T03:31:19Z 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 Raine, Adrian Ang, Rebecca P. Choy, Olivia Hibbeln, Joseph R. Ho, Ringo M.-H. Lim, Choon Guan Lim-Ashworth, Nikki S. J. Ling, Shichun Liu, Jean C. J. Ooi, Yoon Phaik Tan, Yi Ren Fung, Daniel S. S. School of Social Sciences Social sciences::Psychology Antisocial Externalizing 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. 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. 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. 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. NMRC (Natl Medical Research Council, S’pore) 2020-04-22T03:31:18Z 2020-04-22T03:31:18Z 2019 Journal Article Raine, A., Ang, R. P., Choy, O., Hibbein, J. R., Ho, R. M.-H., Lim, C. G., . . ., Fung, D. S. S. (2019). 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. Psychological medicine, 49(2), 335-344. doi:10.1017/S0033291718000983 0033-2917 https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138027 10.1017/S0033291718000983 29743128 2-s2.0-85047161269 2 49 335 344 en Psychological medicine © 2018 Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved. |
| spellingShingle | Social sciences::Psychology Antisocial Externalizing Raine, Adrian Ang, Rebecca P. Choy, Olivia Hibbeln, Joseph R. Ho, Ringo M.-H. Lim, Choon Guan Lim-Ashworth, Nikki S. J. Ling, Shichun Liu, Jean C. J. Ooi, Yoon Phaik Tan, Yi Ren Fung, Daniel S. S. 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 |
| 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 |
| title_full | 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 |
| title_fullStr | 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 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 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 |
| title_short | 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 |
| title_sort | 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 |
| topic | Social sciences::Psychology Antisocial Externalizing |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10356/138027 |
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