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. 2024 Sep 12:15:1378807.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1378807. eCollection 2024.

Depression in youths with early life adversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zengyan Yu  1 , Yunhua Cao  1 , Tinghuizi Shang  1 , Ping Li  1
Affiliations

Depression in youths with early life adversity: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Zengyan Yu et al. Front Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Globally, early-life adversity (ELA) is linked to an increased risk of developing depression in adulthood; however, only a few studies have examined the specific effects of various types of ELA on depression in children and adolescents. This meta-analysis explores the association between the subtypes of ELA and the risk for youth-onset depression.

Methods: We searched three electronic databases for reporting types of ELA, namely, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, physical neglect, family conflict/violence, divorce, low socioeconomic status, and left-behind experience, associated with depression before the age of 18 years. Our meta-analysis utilized the odds ratio (OR) and relied on a random effects model. Large heterogeneous effects were detected. Some factors moderated the association between ELA and depression in youths. The homogeneity of variance test and meta-regression analysis were used to detect these relationships.

Results: A total of 87 studies with 213,006 participants were ultimately identified via several strategies in this meta-analysis. Individuals who experienced ELA were more likely to develop depression before the age of 18 years old than those without a history of ELA (OR=2.14; 95% CI [1.93, 2.37]). The results of the subgroup analysis revealed a strong association between ELA and depression in youth, both in terms of specific types and dimensions. Specifically, emotional abuse (OR = 4.25, 95% CI [3.04, 5.94]) was more strongly related to depression in children and adolescents than other forms of ELA were. For both dimensions, threat (OR = 2.60, 95% CI [2.23, 3.02]) was more closely related to depression than deprivation was (OR = 1.76, 95% CI [1.55, 1.99]).

Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed that the adverse effects of a broader consideration of ELA on the risk of youth-onset depression vary according to the subtypes of ELA.

Systematic review registation: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023405803, identifier 42023405803.

Keywords: adversity; depression; deprivation; threat; youth.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA Flowchart of Study Selection.
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