The Impact of Childhood Psychological Maltreatment on Mental Health Outcomes in Adulthood: a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Childhood emotional abuse and emotional neglect are the least well-studied forms of childhood abuse due to difficulties in detection and definition. Available evidence suggests associations with multiple adulthood mental health problems in both clinical and non-clinical populations. This systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO registration number CRD42020197833) explored the associations between childhood emotional abuse and neglect and various adulthood mental health problems based on eight databases. There were 79 English and 11 Chinese studies meeting inclusion criteria. The results suggested that childhood emotional abuse and emotional neglect had positive associations with various adulthood mental health problems (d = 0.02-1.84) such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, suicide ideation, or suicide ideation or attempts, personality disorder, eating disorder and other psychological symptoms in the general population and across different geographical regions. Further, the findings suggested that compared with individuals in non-clinical populations, individuals in clinical populations were more likely to have experienced emotional abuse and neglect during their childhood. The review highlights the need for more research on emotional abuse and emotional neglect, especially in non-western countries and the elder populations. They further underline the importance of addressing issues related to childhood emotional abuse/neglect experiences for the prevention and treatment of mental health issues in adulthood.