Association of Childhood Sexual Abuse with Adolescent’s Psychopathology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Childhood Sexual Abuse (CSA) poses a significant risk to mental health, especially among adolescents. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the association between CSA and adolescent psychopathology. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines, we conducted an extensive search across multiple databases, including PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Science Direct, Embase, and ProQuest, resulting in 27,207 observational studies. From this pool, 87 studies (n: 189,393) were included in the qualitative synthesis and 78 studies were included in meta-analysis, discussing CSA and adolescent’s psychopathology Random effect model with Cohen’s d values were used to analyze data. To assess publication bias, funnel plots, Egger’s regression test, and the fill and trim method were employed, with no significant bias found. The results indicated a positive correlation between CSA and adolescent psychopathology, for example, depression, anxiety, PTSD, suicidal ideation, nonsuicidal self-injury, anger, substance use, and sexrelated behaviors (Pooled association: 0.13–0.25, 95% CI [0.04, 0.28]). Subgroup analysis showed the strongest association in clinical samples. Furthermore, the moderator analysis suggested minimal influence of study-level variables, as well as men showing higher levels of anger and suicidal ideation. The positive correlation between CSA and psychopathological outcomes highlights the detrimental effects of CSA on adolescents’ mental health. To mitigate these effects, increased awareness, prevention efforts, and targeted interventions are essential.