Statistical Methods for the meta-analysis paper by Itzhaky et al

This document describes the statistical methods used in Itzhaky et al (“Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Twenty-six Years of Randomized Clinical Trials of Psychosocial Interventions to Reduce Suicide Risk in Adolescents”). That paper is a meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials testing methods for preventing suicidal behavior and/or ideation in youth. Particularly on the behavior side the meta-data are challenging to analyze. This paper has two parts. The first is an informal discussion of the statistical methods used. The second gives detailed mathematical derivations of some formulas and methods.