title: The effect of omega-3 fatty acids on aggression: A meta-analysis.
abstract: Evidence suggests that omega-3 fatty acids are important for a variety of mental health outcomes and have been shown to improve both mood and behaviors. However, there is little consensus on whether omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for reducing aggressive behaviors. The current study assesses the relationship between omega-3 fatty acids and aggression. A total of 73 effect sizes were calculated among 40 studies involving 7173 participants from both intervention and observational research designs. Effect sizes were separately meta-analyzed for two-group comparison studies (SMD=0.20), pre-post contrast studies (ESsg=0.62), and associational studies (r=-0.06), in the fixed-effect model. Results from the random-effects model also suggest a range of effects of omega-3 fatty acids on reducing aggression (SMD=0.24; ESsg=0.82; r=-0.09). Patterns in the relationship between omega-3s and aggression were additionally observed. Moderator analyses indicated that the effect of omega-3s on aggression is conditioned by how aggressive behaviors are measured, such as through self-report or parent/teacher surveys.
authors.affiliation: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1273, USA. Electronic address: jmg09m@my.fsu.edu.
authors.forename: Jamie M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Gajos
authors.affiliation: College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1273, USA; Center for Social and Humanities Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Kevin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Beaver
mesh_terms: D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3
keywords: Aggression; Meta-analysis; Omega-3 fatty acids