Dietary supplements for aggressive behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities: A randomised controlled crossover trial

Background Aggressive incidents are common in people with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, we aimed to assess whether supplementation of multivitamins, minerals, and omega‐3 fatty acids (FA) reduces aggressive incidents. Methods We conducted a randomised, triple blind, placebo controlled, singl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities 2023-01, Vol.36 (1), p.122-131
Main Authors: Gast, David A. A., Didden, Robert, Westera, Johanna J., Rest, Ondine, Hemert, Albert M., Giltay, Erik J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aggression
aggressive behaviour
Aggressiveness
Behavior disorders
Clinical trials
Comparative Analysis
COVID-19
Cross-Over Studies
Dietary Supplements
Drug Therapy
Humans
Intellectual disabilities
Intellectual Disability
Measures (Individuals)
Nutrition
Omega-3 fatty acids
Original
Outcomes of Treatment
Pandemics
randomised controlled trial
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Aggressive incidents are common in people with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, we aimed to assess whether supplementation of multivitamins, minerals, and omega‐3 fatty acids (FA) reduces aggressive incidents. Methods We conducted a randomised, triple blind, placebo controlled, single crossover intervention trial. People with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning, between 12 and 40 years of age, and showing aggressive behaviour were included. Participants received either a daily dose of dietary supplements, or placebo. Primary outcome was the number of aggressive incidents, measured using the Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS). Results there were 113 participants (placebo, n = 56), of whom 24 (placebo, n = 10) participated in the crossover phase of the trial. All 137 trajectories were included in the analyses. There was no significant difference in mean number of aggressive incidents per day between those assigned to supplements and those who received placebo (rate ratio = 0.93: 95% Confidence Interval [CI] = 0.59–1.45). Conclusion In this pragmatic trial, we did not find significant differences in the outcomes between the supplement and placebo arms. The COVID‐19 pandemic started midway through our trial, this may have affected the results.
ISSN:1360-2322
1468-3148
DOI:10.1111/jar.13041