![[feed]](/style/images/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon}
Tools
Tools
Preview |
PDF (Preprint)
- Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
2MB |
![[thumbnail of Supplementary Material]](https://edoc.mdc-berlin.de/style/images/fileicons/other.png) |
Other (Supplementary Material)
180kB |
| Item Type: | Preprint |
|---|---|
| Title: | Examining the Contribution of Childhood Maltreatment to the Sex Gap in Depression: Insights from the German National Cohort (NAKO) |
| Creators: |
Völker, Maja P., Kresken, Aina L., Foo, Jerome C., Frank, Josef, Reinhard, Iris, Klinger-König, Johanna, Zillich, Lea, de Sá, Diana S. Ferreira, Mikolajczyk, Rafael, Leitzmann, Michael, Fromherz, Patricia, Krist, Lilian, Keil, Thomas, Meinke-Franze, Claudia, Riedel-Heller, Steffi, Greiser, Halina, Bohn, Barbara, Brenner, Hermann, Obi, Nadia, Harth, Volker, Pischon, Tobias  ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1568-767X, Grabe, Hans J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3684-4208, Berger, Klaus, Schwarz, Emanuel, Mata, Jutta, Witt, Stephanie H. and Streit, Fabian
|
| Abstract: | BACKGROUND: Childhood maltreatment is a major risk factor for depression and may contribute to sex differences in depression prevalence. We examined sex-specific associations between childhood maltreatment and depression and estimated the proportion of depression cases attributable to maltreatment subtypes. METHODS: We analyzed baseline data from 159,045 participants (49.4% female; aged 19–72) in the German National Cohort (NAKO). Childhood maltreatment was assessed via the Childhood Trauma Screener; depression via self-reported physician’s diagnosis and MINI classification (lifetime) and the PHQ-9 (current). Associations, including sex interactions, were modeled using binary logistic regressions. Decomposition analyses and sex-stratified population attributable fractions quantified the contribution of childhood maltreatment to depression. RESULTS: Childhood maltreatment was associated with increased odds of lifetime (ORphysician’s diagnosis=2.45 [2.38,2.53]; ORMINI=2.30 [2.18,2.43]) and current depression (OR=2.90 [2.79,3.02], all padj<0.001). Sex interactions were observed for physician’s diagnosis: physical abuse (padj=0.024) and neglect (padj<0.001) had stronger associations in females (ORphysical abuse=2.74 [2.59,2.90]; ORphysical neglect=1.36 [1.28,1.44]) than males (ORphysical abuse=2.36 [2.21,2.52]; ORphysical neglect=1.08 [1.00,1.16]), whereas sexual abuse (padj=0.003) showed stronger associations in males (OR=3.23 [2.91,3.57]) than females (OR=2.61 [2.48,2.75]). Overall, childhood maltreatment accounted for 21.2-26.2% of lifetime and 33.4% of current depression. Population attributable fractions were higher in females than males for lifetime (24.5-28.5% vs. 16.0-20.9%) and current depression (36.1% vs. 28.4%). Emotional subtypes contributed the highest population attributable fractions (up to 10.2%). Childhood maltreatment mediated 18.9-30.0% of the association between sex and depression. CONCLUSION: Childhood maltreatment accounts for a substantial proportion of depression in both sexes, with stronger overall associations in females. Sex-specific prevention may help reduce depression prevalence. |
| Keywords: | Depression, Childhood Abuse, Sex Differences, Epidemiology |
| Source: | medRxiv |
| Publisher: | Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press |
| Article Number: | 2026.02.02.26345366 |
| Date: | 24 June 2026 |
| Official Publication: | https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.02.02.26345366 |
Repository Staff Only: item control page
