Systematic review of variables that moderate and/or mediate the relationship between child maltreatment and adverse outcomes: a study protocol

• Published in: BMJ open 2024-10, Vol.14 (10), p.e079537
• Main Authors: Colley, Denise, Seidler, Jenny, Rasch, Lena, Gahr, Britta, Küppers, Lisa, Mayatepek, Ertan, De Bock, Freia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Age; Child; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Child abuse & neglect; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data; Child protection; Child, Preschool; Children; Children & youth; Cognitive style; Domestic violence; Emotional abuse; Emotional regulation; Emotions; Epidemiology; Ethics; Families & family life; Humans; Intervention; Measures; Mediators; Medical prognosis; Neighborhoods; Non-accidental injury; Observational studies; Paediatrics; Parents & parenting; Protocol; Psychopathology; Research Design; Sexual abuse; Sexual behavior; System theory; Systematic review; Systematic Reviews as Topic; Teenagers; Variables; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-079537

IntroductionChild maltreatment (CM) is associated with adverse cognitive, behavioural, physical and social outcomes that often continue until adulthood. Systematic reviews on mediators and moderators of this relationship mostly investigate childhood adversities in general or only with regard to an adult population, single outcomes or single forms of maltreatment. The purpose of this review is to synthesise the evidence of variables that mediate and/or moderate the relationship between CM and diverse outcomes.MethodA systematic search will be performed in Scopus, PsychInfo, Medline and Web of Science until January 2022. Eligibility criteria include children under 18 years who have been maltreated and experienced adverse outcomes until the age of 21, moderators and/or mediators that influence the relationship between maltreatment and adverse outcomes must belong to the individual level and be amenable to change. After independent screening of studies by two reviewers, data extraction and study quality of included studies will be done using adapted checklists of similar reviews, the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology report, the COnsensus‐based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments checklist and Downs and Black Checklist. The results will be presented in narrative form and, if adequate, meta-analysis.Ethics and disseminationEthics approval will not be required. The results of this systematic review will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022297982.