Psychological and pharmacological treatments of intermittent explosive disorder: a meta-analysis protocol

Introduction Intermittent explosive disorder (IED) is characterised by recurrent, sudden episodes of impulsive aggression that are disproportionate to the provocation. The condition's management remains challenging due to the variability in treatment efficacy and the absence of Food and Drug Administration-approved interventions specifically for IED. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effectiveness of existing treatments for IED. Methods and analysis Adhering to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted in November 2023, yielding 17 randomised controlled trials after screening and eligibility assessments. Studies were included based on participants' confirmed diagnosis of IED, sufficient statistical power and provision of data for effect size calculation. Interventions analysed included pharmacological treatments, psychotherapies and combination therapies, with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioural therapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Quality assessment was performed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Ethics and dissemination Given that our study is a synthesis of published data, ethical approval from a research ethics committee is not required. Nevertheless, the methodology of this review was designed to ensure full transparency and accountability. All efforts have been made to respect the confidentiality and intellectual property rights of the original data sources. Any ethical issues encountered during the data collection process were addressed in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. As this research involves the analysis of existing published data, there are no direct safety concerns related to patient interactions. Our primary focus has been on ensuring the secure handling and processing of data to uphold the ethical standards set by previous original studies. To ensure the findings of our meta-analysis reach both the academic community and the public effectively, we aim to submit our findings to peer-reviewed journals within the fields of psychology to ensure rigorous review and broad academic dissemination.