Sensitive periods in development and risk for psychiatric disorders and related endpoints: a systematic review of child maltreatment findings.

ABSTRACT: Variation in the mental health of people who have experienced childhood maltreatment is substantial. One hypothesis is that this variation is attributable, in part, to the timing of maltreatment-specifically, whether maltreatment occurs during sensitive periods in development when the brain is maximally sensitive to particular types of environmental input. To determine whether there is scientific consensus around when periods of peak sensitivity occur, we did a systematic review of human observational studies. Although 89 (75%) of the 118 unique cross-sectional or longitudinal cohort studies we identified reported timing effects, no consistent sensitive periods were identified for any of the most studied outcomes. Thus, observational research on childhood maltreatment has yet to converge o

SUBMITTER: Schaefer JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10443538 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature