Childhood emotional maltreatment and trauma-related outcomes: a systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis

Exploring Psychological and Biological mediators between Childhood Adversity and Psychosis: An updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Efficacy of trauma-informed care interventions on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed the effectiveness of trauma-informed care (TIC) in diminishing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms in adolescents. METHOD A systematic search was performed across PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang Database from inception to April 2026. We included Randomized Controlled Trials or quasi-experimental studies that compared TIC interventions against control conditions for PTSD symptoms in individuals aged 12-18 years. Two reviewers independently screened literature, extracted data, and evaluated methodological quality. The meta-analysis, conducted using RevMan 5.4, calculated the standardized mean difference (SMD) along with its 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS In total, 15 studies comprising 1572 adolescents were included. The analysis revealed that TIC interventions led to a significantly greater reduction in PTSD symptoms for adolescents than seen in control groups. The meta-analysis revealed a moderate-to-large reduction in PTSD symptoms favoring TIC (SMD = -0.71, 95% CI: -0.92 to -0.50, p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses identified individualized interventions and those for complex trauma as particularly effective. Benefits were sustained at 3-6 months follow-up (SMD = -0.58, 95% CI: -0.82 to -0.34). CONCLUSION TIC offers an effective framework for easing adolescent PTSD. These findings have direct implications for pediatric nursing practice, suggesting that incorporating TIC principles into nursing care can significantly enhance outcomes for traumatized adolescents. Individualized methods are especially beneficial for complex trauma cases. Future work should investigate its long-term applicability and effectiveness across diverse cultural settings.

Childhood Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: A Three-Level Meta-Analysis to Examine the Impact on Mental Health.

Childhood exposure to intimate partner violence (CEIPV) is a pervasive adverse childhood experience with wide-ranging mental health consequences, yet its associations with mental health problems remain inconsistent across studies. Existing meta-analyses are dated and have largely overlooked outcomes beyond childhood. This study employed a three-level meta-analysis to examine the magnitude of the association between CEIPV and mental health outcomes, as well as potential moderators. A systematic search yielded 36 eligible studies (78 effect sizes; N = 59,561). Based on variations in clinical specificity and outcome labels used across studies, outcomes were classified as internalising problems, depressive symptoms, and PTSD-related symptoms. Results revealed a significant moderate overall effect (r = 0.263). The association was significant across internalising problems (r = 0.252), depressive symptoms (r = 0.227), and PTSD-related symptoms (r = 0.319). Moderation analyses indicated that higher study quality and larger sample sizes were associated with smaller effect sizes, and these patterns also applied to the depressive symptoms and internalising problems subgroups, respectively. Studies using the Conflict Tactics Scale showed larger effect sizes compared to studies using other measures. In addition, older participant age was associated with slightly larger effect sizes in the PTSD-related symptoms subgroup. These findings indicate that CEIPV confers significant mental health risks, underscoring the need for trauma-informed prevention and intervention efforts.

The Relationship Between Childhood Trauma and Substance Use Disorders: A Systematic Review

This systematic review aimed to synthesize primary evidence on the relationship between childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences and alcohol or other psychoactive substance use or related disorders during adolescence or adulthood. Methods: Google Scholar, DergiPark, and TR Dizin were searched using Turkish and English keywords between January 2026 and August 17, 2026. In accordance with PRISMA 2020, 18 of the 96 identified records were removed as duplicates, 78 records were screened, 58 full-text reports were assessed, and 14 reports were excluded with reasons provided. Forty-four eligible primary observational studies were examined through structured narrative synthesis without meta-analysis. Study-level methodological quality was assessed using design-appropriate JBI checklists, while the certainty of evidence across outcome groups was evaluated using the GRADE approach. Results: Most studies reported positive associations between childhood trauma and earlier substance use initiation, frequency of use, alcohol or substance use disorders, overdose, and clinical severity. A cumulative exposure and dose–response pattern recurred across diverse samples. However, some associations weakened after adjustment for genetic and familial factors and other adverse childhood experiences; in certain clinical and child protection samples, no significant differences were found in consumption amount or by maltreatment type. GRADE rated evidence on alcohol, general substance use disorder, and initiation outcomes as low certainty and evidence on cannabis and clinical severity outcomes as very low certainty. Moreover, the absence of eligible primary studies from Türkiye highlighted a local evidence gap and the need for context-specific research. Conclusion: Childhood trauma is an important risk marker; however, heterogeneous measures, retrospective self-reports, confounding factors, and observational designs limit causal interpretation. The findings support safe, voluntary, trauma-informed assessment in addiction services and prospective, multicenter, well-controlled research.

Role of psychological resilience and social support in perinatal depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Perinatal Depression (PND) is a prevalent mental health disorder with adverse effects on both maternal and infant outcomes. Although psychological resilience and social support are widely considered protective factors against PND, the existing evidence is quite inconsistent. Consequently, this meta-analysis aimed to systematically assess and quantify the associations among PND, psychological resilience, and social support. METHODS This systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Six electronic databases, grey literature, and reference lists were searched up to March 18, 2025. Studies were eligible if they investigated the association between perinatal depression and resilience or social support. The study quality was assessed using the AHRQ checklist for cross-sectional studies and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for cohort designs. A random-effects meta-analysis was conducted in R to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS Twenty-nine studies (N = 18,213) were included. The overall meta-analysis showed no significant association between the combined protective factors of resilience and social support with perinatal depression (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.66-1.05). In subgroup analyses based on exposure levels, studies that compared women with higher resilience to those with lower levels showed a reduced risk of postpartum depression (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.62-0.87), while studies that used low resilience as the exposure group reported increased odds (OR = 3.54, 95% CI: 2.34-5.34). A similar pattern was observed for social support: studies using greater support as the exposure found a protective effect (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.84), whereas those using minimal support as the exposure reported higher odds (OR = 3.90, 95% CI: 2.46-6.18). These contrasting directions reflect differences in how primary studies defined the reference group, and the pooled estimates were therefore derived from distinct study sets rather than from the same data. Effect sizes also varied by maternal age and study design. Sensitivity analyses confirmed the robustness of the findings, and no evidence of publication bias was detected. CONCLUSION High resilience and strong social support are associated with reduced risk of PND, whereas low resilience and minimal support are linked to increased risk. Although the overall pooled association was not statistically significant, subgroup findings underscore the importance of considering study context and reference group definitions. These results highlight the value of integrating resilience-building and social support interventions into perinatal mental health strategies.

Incidence and relative risk of negative outcomes of psychological interventions for pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Negative outcomes of psychological treatments for pediatric posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been underresearched. Although reporting has increased over the years, a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis is lacking. METHODS We conducted a preregistered systematic review and meta-analysis (PROSPERO ID: CRD42020206290) and followed PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and PTSDpubs were systematically searched from inception to May 13, 2025. Eligible studies were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of psychotherapies for pediatric PTSD with ≥10 participants per arm. Two independent coders extracted data and assessed risk of bias. RESULTS Seventy-two RCTs (N = 5,677) met inclusion criteria. Of these, 69, 6, and 19 reported the incidence of all-cause dropout, deterioration of PTSD, and adverse events, respectively. Most trials (74%) investigated trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). Random effects meta-analysis showed that 7.87% of patients (95% CI, 4.07-12.55; I2 = 82%) dropped out, with no significant difference relative to passive controls (RR = 1.04, 95% CI, 0.64-1.69; I2 = 53%). Less than 0.01% (95% CI, 0.00-2.39; I2 = 0%) of patients reported deterioration after TF-CBT, compared to 1.26% (95% CI, 0.00-8.13; I2 = 40%) of passive controls. Limited data prohibited isolated review of other treatments. The incidence of adverse events during psychological treatments was also uncommon (0.29%, 95% CI, 0.00-2.67; I2 = 34%) and similar to passive controls (1.14%, 95% CI, 0.00-8.02; I2 = 84%). CONCLUSIONS Psychological treatments for pediatric PTSD-with most accumulated evidence for TF-CBT-appear safe and acceptable for the vast majority of children and adolescents with PTSD, which is encouraging for clinical practice. Reporting on deterioration and adverse events was scarce, limiting statistical power. Negative outcomes should be routinely assessed in clinical practice and future research, using validated measures and clearly defined constructs. Future work should distinguish serious adverse events and adverse events.