Relationship between child maltreatment and emotional regulation skills in adolescents: A systematic review

Emotion regulation skills are a robust transdiagnostic factor of psychopathologies and can be especially affected in individuals with a history of maltreatment, and adolescence is a critical period for their development and prevention. However, conceptual and methodological heterogeneity in evaluating emotion regulation skills and different forms of maltreatment make it difficult to understand their relationship. This review delved into the relationship between childhood maltreatment and the emotional skills of adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age through the studies that examining it, focusing on unique relationships between the different types of maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse and neglect) and emotion regulation skills (emotion regulation or dysregulation and emotional intelligence), as well as the role of the latter on maltreatment-related outcomes. Searches were carried out in the PsycINFO, MedLine and PsicoDoc databases. Of the 191 studies found, 28 met the inclusion criteria. The studies reviewed revealed significant and consistent relationships between global measures of child maltreatment and emotion dysregulation in adolescents. However, when specific types of maltreatment or strategies were analyzed, results are disparate. Moreover, emotion regulation skills influence the appearance of problems associated with maltreatment, with internalized symptoms and self-harm being the most explored. The conceptual and methodological heterogeneity of the studies reviewed made it difficult to draw robust conclusions regarding the trends identified, hence the need to continue to explore this relationship.