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Childhood maltreatment and depressive disorders in Chinese children and adolescents: A population-based case-control

Yuanyuan Xiao1, Hailiang Ran1, Die Fang1

  • 1Division of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, School of Public Health, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, China.

Asian Journal of Psychiatry
|November 6, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Childhood maltreatment significantly increases the risk of depressive disorders in Chinese youth. Emotional abuse showed the strongest association, highlighting the need for targeted interventions for vulnerable children.

Area of Science:

  • Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
  • Epidemiology
  • Mental Health Research

Background:

  • The link between childhood maltreatment (CM) and childhood depressive disorders (DD) lacks robust epidemiological evidence.
  • Previous studies have yielded inconclusive results regarding the association between CM and DD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between childhood maltreatment and clinically diagnosed depressive disorders in a large Chinese pediatric and adolescent population.
  • To provide high-quality epidemiological evidence on the CM-DD relationship.

Main Methods:

  • Population-based, individually-matched case-control study design.
  • Data sourced from the Mental Health Survey for Children and Adolescents in Yunnan (MHSCAY).

Main Results:

  • Childhood maltreatment was significantly associated with an increased odds of depressive disorders (OR=5.38).
  • A dose-response relationship was observed between CM and DD.
  • Emotional abuse presented the highest odds of DD (OR=3.90), followed by physical neglect and physical abuse. Sexual abuse and emotional neglect showed insignificant associations.
  • Demographic factors modified the observed associations.

Conclusions:

  • Childhood maltreatment is a significant risk factor for depressive disorders in Chinese children and adolescents.
  • Victims of CM, particularly emotional abuse, are susceptible to early-onset DD.
  • Targeted interventions for child maltreatment are recommended to mitigate the risk of depressive disorders.
Abstract

Keywords:
Case-control studyChildhood maltreatmentChildren and adolescentsDepressive disordersEffect modification

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