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A meta‐analysis of antidepressant outcome studies that involved children and adolescents
Author(s) -
Thurber Steve,
Ensign John,
Punnett Audrey F.,
Welter Kelly
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/1097-4679(199505)51:3<340::aid-jclp2270510304>3.0.co;2-s
Subject(s) - meta analysis , psychology , antidepressant , clinical psychology , placebo , psychiatry , population , medicine , alternative medicine , anxiety , environmental health , pathology
A meta‐analysis was performed of available studies that document response to antidepressant medications in the pediatric population, based upon guidelines developed in a methodological review of adult antidepressant response (Greenberg, Borstein, Greenberg, & Fisher, 1992). The 27 studies accessed through standard medical and psychological data bases were assessed against the following criteria: degree of blindness, placebo group design, rating issues, sample size, inclusion criteria, and other methodological issues. Serious methodological flaws emerged in all areas, as well as an inverse relationship between positive findings and the presence of adequate experimental controls. Recommendations are made for improvements in experimental methodology, and caution is urged in the absence of well‐controlled studies.