Meara 1998.

Study characteristics
Methods	Parallel design Analysis: unclear
Participants	Location: Wales, UK Setting: inpatient Treatment: unclear Control: unclear Stroke criteria: ischaemic stroke > 11 weeks prior to randomisation Depression criteria: GDS (15‐item) score > 4 Other entry criteria: not stated Exclusion criteria: moderate to severe dementia, severe aphasia, communication difficulties, poorly controlled epilepsy
Interventions	Treatment: sertraline 50 mg daily, dose escalation to 100 mg for non‐responders at 2 weeks Control: matched placebo Duration: treatment continued for 6 weeks
Outcomes	Depression: change in scores from baseline to end of treatment on GDS Unable to use GDS, BI, MMSE, FAI, FAST Leaving trial early Death AEs
Funding source	Source of funding not stated
Notes	Contacted author for more details but no response We could not use the data in our meta‐analysis Dates of study not stated. Conflicts not stated
Risk of bias
Bias	Authors' judgement	Support for judgement
Random sequence generation (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Method not described
Allocation concealment (selection bias)	Unclear risk	Not described
Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Double‐blind reported, those who were blind not described
Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Double‐blind reported, those who were blind not described
Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias) All outcomes	Unclear risk	Not described
Selective reporting (reporting bias)	Unclear risk	Insufficient data to make a judgement
Other bias	Unclear risk	Insufficient data to make a judgement