Childhood maltreatment and DNA methylation: a systematic review

Abstract

DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic process that regulates gene expression, may represent a mechanism for the biological embedding of early traumatic experiences, including childhood maltreatment. Here, we conducted the first systematic review of evidence from studies in humans regarding the association between childhood maltreatment and DNAm. In total, 73 studies were included in the review (2008-2018). The majority of extant studies (i) were based on retrospective data in adults, (ii) employed a candidate gene approach (iii) focused on global maltreatment, (iv) were based on easily accessible peripheral tissues, typically blood; and (v) were cross-sectional. Two-thirds of studies (n=48) also examined individual outcomes, such as stress reactivity and psychiatric symptoms. While findings generally support an association between childhood maltreatment and altered patterns of DNAm, factors such as the dearth of longitudinal data, low comparability across studies as well as potential genetic and ‘pre-exposure’ environmental confounding currently limit the conclusions that can be drawn. Key challenges are discussed and concrete recommendations for future research are provided.

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ORCID for Yuning Zhang: orcid.org/0000-0003-2225-6368

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