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Time-lag bias in trials of pediatric antidepressants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Magdalena M Reyes1, Kaitlyn E Panza, Andrés Martin

  • 1Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 South Frontage Road, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.

Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
|December 16, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Publication bias delays negative pediatric antidepressant trial results, skewing perceived efficacy. This time-lag bias affects medical literature and highlights broader scientific publishing issues.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Pediatric depression treatment relies on evidence from clinical trials.
  • Publication bias, the tendency to publish positive results over negative ones, can distort the scientific record.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate time-lag bias in the publication of pediatric antidepressant trials.
  • To assess the impact of publication timing on the perceived efficacy of these treatments.

Main Methods:

  • A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) for pediatric depression was conducted.
  • Publication times for positive versus negative trials were compared.
  • Treatment responder proportions in trials with standard versus delayed publication were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • Trials with negative findings had a significantly longer time to publication (4.2 years) compared to positive trials (2.2 years).
  • The estimated efficacy was significantly greater in trials with standard publication (NNT=7) versus delayed publication (NNT=17).
  • Journal impact factors did not differ significantly between published positive and negative trials.

Conclusions:

  • Significant evidence of time-lag bias was found in pediatric antidepressant trials.
  • This bias inflates the apparent efficacy of these treatments in the medical literature.
  • Time-lag bias is a systemic issue in scientific publishing, not limited to child psychiatry.
Abstract

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