Childhood Maltreatment and Violent Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies

Abstract

The risk of violence following childhood maltreatment is uncertain. This meta-analytic review identified prospective studies that have examined this association. We systematically searched three electronic databases (PsycINFO, EMBASE, and MEDLINE) and completed a targeted search on Google Scholar. These were supplemented with scanning reference lists and correspondence with authors. We considered non-English-language and unpublished studies. Studies were included if childhood maltreatment was measured before age 18 years and occurred before violent outcomes. We identified 18 eligible studies with data on 39,271 participants. We conducted meta-analysis to calculate odds ratios ( ORs) using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was explored through subgroup analyses and meta-regression. The overall OR of violent outcomes in childhood maltreatment was 1.8 (95% confidence interval [1.4, 2.3]) with substantial heterogeneity ( I = 92%). Meta-regression suggested that risk of violence following childhood maltreatment was more elevated in samples with higher percentage of females, in higher quality investigations, in studies with case-linkage methods compared to that followed-up participants over time using a prospective cohort design, when general population or matched controls were used rather than selected population controls, and when violent outcomes were ascertained in older individuals. In conclusion, the risk of later violence perpetration was modestly increased in individuals with a history of childhood maltreatment. Preventative strategies and interventions for childhood maltreatment may have an important role in violence reduction. Methodological issues and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Long-term outcomes of childhood sexual abuse: an umbrella review

“…Third, there is a high co-occurrence of childhood sexual abuse with other forms of child abuse, which is associated with poorer psychosocial and health outcomes. [88][89][90] However, as a result of insufficient data, we were not able to take into account effects of other forms of child abuse in this umbrella review. Finally, our analyses showed that current evidence of the association between sexual abuse and health outcomes is inconsistent and studies with significant results were more likely to be published than those with non-significant findings.…”

The Utility of a Psycho-Social Approach for Understanding and Addressing Male Youth Violence: The Interface between Traumatic Experiences and Masculinity

“…One of the reasons has been the limited number of highquality longitudinal studies capturing intersections between predictors of aggression and violent outcomes (Hawkins et al, 2000;Farrington, Gaffney, & Ttofi, 2017). Another factor has been the dearth of European-and UKbased empirical studies over recent decades, with much of the academic literature coming from studies implemented in the United States (Filton, Rongqin, & Fazel, 2018;. Of those, many were influenced by significant scientific advances throughout the twentieth century leading to increasing empirical interest in risk factors associated with relatively fixed personal characteristics such as gender (Messerschmidt, 1993), genetics, and hormones (particularly testosterone) (Carre & Archer, 2018) and personality traits (particularly callous and empathetic traits) (Joliffe & Farrington, 2004).…”

“…Piquero, Jennings, & Barnes, (2012) found 37 studies related to youth violence through analysis of aggregated data found a significant associa-tion between victimization and offending. Two more recent systemic reviews (Filton et al, 2018; exploring the relation-ship between maltreatment and violent offending for instance found relatively few studies in this area. In the former, only 18 high-quality studies were available between 1989 and 2016 (Filton et al, 2018), and in both studies the majority were conducted in the USA (78% & 94%).…”

“…Two more recent systemic reviews (Filton et al, 2018; exploring the relation-ship between maltreatment and violent offending for instance found relatively few studies in this area. In the former, only 18 high-quality studies were available between 1989 and 2016 (Filton et al, 2018), and in both studies the majority were conducted in the USA (78% & 94%). Filton et al (2018) established that whilst some forms of trauma are stronger predictors of violence, they only modestly predict perpetration.…”

“…In the former, only 18 high-quality studies were available between 1989 and 2016 (Filton et al, 2018), and in both studies the majority were conducted in the USA (78% & 94%). Filton et al (2018) established that whilst some forms of trauma are stronger predictors of violence, they only modestly predict perpetration.…”