Although empirical evidence has confirmed the causal relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression, findings are inconsistent on the magnitude of the effect of age of exposure to childhood maltreatment on psychological development. This systematic review with meta-analysis aims to comprehensively synthesize the literature on the relationship between exposure age of maltreatment and depression and to quantitatively compare the magnitude of effect sizes across exposure age groups. Electronic databases and grey literature up to April 6th, 2022, were searched for English-language studies. Studies were included if they: 1) provided the information on exposure age; and 2) provided statistical indicators to examine the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression. Fifty-eight articles met eligibility criteria and were included in meta-analyses. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on subtypes of maltreatment and measurements of depression. Any kind of maltreatment (correlation coefficient [r] = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.15–0.18), physical abuse (r =0.13, 95% CI = 0.10–0.15), sexual abuse (r = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.15–0.21), emotional abuse (r = 0.17, 95% CI=0.11–0.23), and neglect (r = 0.08, 95% CI=0.06–0.11) were associated with an increased risk of depression. Significant differential effects of maltreatment in depression were found across age groups of exposure to maltreatment (Q = 34.81, p < 0.001). Age of exposure in middle childhood (6–13 years) had the highest risk of depression, followed by late childhood (12–19 years) and early childhood (0–6 years). Implications of the findings provide robust evidence to support targeting victimized children of all ages and paying closer attention to those in middle childhood to effectively reduce the risk of depression.

尽管经验证据证实了儿童期虐待与抑郁症之间的因果关系，但关于儿童期虐待年龄对心理发展的影响程度的研究结果并不一致。这篇带有荟萃分析的系统评价旨在全面综合有关虐待暴露年龄与抑郁症之间关系的文献，并定量比较暴露年龄组的影响大小。搜索了截至 2022 年 4 月 6 日的电子数据库和灰色文献以进行英语研究。如果研究符合以下条件，则纳入研究： 1) 提供有关暴露年龄的信息；2) 提供统计指标来检验童年虐待与抑郁之间的关系。58 篇文章符合入选标准并被纳入荟萃分析。根据虐待的亚型和抑郁症的测量进行亚组分析。任何形式的虐待（相关系数 [r] = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.15–0.18），身体虐待（r = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.10–0.15），性虐待（r = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.15 –0.21）、情感虐待（r = 0.17, 95% CI=0.11–0.23）和忽视（r = 0.08, 95% CI=0.06–0.11）与抑郁症风险增加有关。在遭受虐待的年龄组中发现虐待对抑郁症的显着差异影响（Q = 34.81，95% CI = 0.10–0.15)、性虐待 (r = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.15–0.21)、情感虐待 (r = 0.17, 95% CI=0.11–0.23) 和忽视 (r = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.06-0.11）与抑郁症风险增加有关。在遭受虐待的年龄组中发现虐待对抑郁症的显着差异影响（Q = 34.81，95% CI = 0.10–0.15)、性虐待 (r = 0.18, 95% CI = 0.15–0.21)、情感虐待 (r = 0.17, 95% CI=0.11–0.23) 和忽视 (r = 0.08, 95% CI = 0.06-0.11）与抑郁症风险增加有关。在遭受虐待的年龄组中发现虐待对抑郁症的显着差异影响（Q = 34.81，p < 0.001)。儿童中期（6-13 岁）的暴露年龄具有最高的抑郁风险，其次是儿童晚期（12-19 岁）和儿童早期（0-6 岁）。研究结果的意义提供了有力的证据，支持针对所有年龄段的受害儿童并密切关注儿童中期的儿童，以有效降低抑郁症的风险。