Childhood maltreatment (CM) and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are two primary forms of interpersonal victimization that have been associated with a host of deleterious health outcomes. Studies over the past decade have begun to use a range of biologically informed methods to better understand the role biology plays in the relationship between CM, ACEs, and later life outcomes. This line of research has shown that both forms of victimization occur at sensitive periods of development, which can increase the likelihood of “getting under the skin” and influence health and behavior across the life course. This review examines the current state of knowledge on this hypothesis. One hundred and ninety-nine studies are included in this systematic review based on criteria that they be written in English, use a biologically informed method, and be conducted on samples of humans. Results reveal that latent additive genetic influences, biological system functioning captured by biomarkers, polygenic risk scores, and neurobiological factors are commonly associated with exposure and response to CM and ACEs. The implication of these findings for the existing body of research on early life victimization and recommendations for future research and policy are discussed.

童年虐待 (CM) 和童年不良经历 (ACE) 是两种主要的人际伤害形式，与许多有害健康结果相关。过去十年的研究已经开始使用一系列生物学知识方法来更好地理解生物学在 CM、ACE 和晚年生活结果之间的关系中所扮演的角色。这一系列的研究表明，这两种形式的受害都发生在发育的敏感时期，这会增加“陷入困境”的可能性，并影响整个生命过程中的健康和行为。这篇综述检查了关于这一假设的当前知识状态。本系统评价纳入了 199 项研究，标准是它们以英文撰写，使用生物学信息方法，并在人类样本上进行。结果表明，潜在的加性遗传影响、生物标志物捕获的生物系统功能、多基因风险评分和神经生物学因素通常与 CM 和 ACE 的暴露和反应相关。讨论了这些发现对现有早年受害研究机构的影响以及对未来研究和政策的建议。