ABSTRACT
Objectives: Mental health problems, including depression, often start in childhood or adolescence. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to alarming rates of child and adolescent depression. An emerging potential treatment in adults is omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are naturally found in fatty fish, marine sources, and some nuts and seeds. We will determine the efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs for children and adolescents with clinical depression. Method(s): Electronic searches were conducted in several databases. Reference lists of relevant studies and grey literature were also searched for additional references. Randomized controlled trials involving supplementary omega-3 fatty acid treatment of any dose as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy among males and females who were 6 to 19 years of age with depression qualified for inclusion. All screening of citations was conducted in duplicate. Full-text citations were assessed for inclusion criteria and methodological quality from potentially relevant s. The standardized mean difference with 95% CI was determined. Result(s): This review included 6 trials involving 253 participants. Five studies involving 202 participants included in the primary outcome analysis demonstrated a moderate effect size when compared to placebo with a standardized mean difference (SMD) of -0.47 (95% CI, -1.07 to 0.13). Attrition rates were highly variable and not significant, with an OR of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.34-1.20). Conclusion(s): To date, there is insufficient evidence to determine the efficacy of omega-3 PUFAs on depressive symptoms in children and adolescents. However, this review suggests a moderate beneficial effect of omega-3 PUFAs on depressive symptoms compared to placebo, although the effect estimate is imprecise and not significant. Further research that addresses limitations in the current body of research on this topic in children and adolescents, including small sample sizes, remission, adverse events, dosage, and delivery modes, will help increase the precision in the effect estimates. DDD, TREAT Copyright © 2022