Agreement Between Prospective and Retrospective Measures of Childhood Maltreatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

• In Event: The Convergence of Retrospective and Prospective Measures: An Examination of Normative and Atypical Caregiving Experiences

Abstract

Introduction: Childhood maltreatment is associated with mental illness. Researchers,
clinicians, and public health professionals use prospective or retrospective measures
interchangeably to assess childhood maltreatment, assuming that the two measures identify
the same individuals. However, this assumption has not been comprehensively tested.

Aims: The aims of the study were two-fold. First, to undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of the agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment. Second, to examine whether agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment is affected by measurement or sample characteristics.

Study population: To identify cohorts with paired prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment, we conducted a systematic search via MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Sociological Abstracts. From >7,000 initial studies published up to 2018, we identified 16 independent cohorts with paired prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment and data on their agreement. These cohorts included 25,471 participants (52% female), with a mean age of 30.6 years at retrospective assessment of maltreatment. We will update the search to identify new studies published before 2021 for the SRCD conference presentation.

Methods: First, we meta-analysed the agreement (Cohen’s kappa) between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment. Second, we conducted subgroup and meta-regression analyses to examine predictors of heterogeneity in the agreement between prospective and retrospective measures.

Results: The agreement between prospective and retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment was poor (kappa = 0.19; 95% CI = 0.14-0.24; p < .001). Agreement was higher when retrospective measures of childhood maltreatment were based on interviews rather than questionnaires (Q = 4.1521; df = 1; p = .04) and in studies with smaller samples (Q = 4.2251; df = 1; p = .04). Agreement was not affected by the type of prospective measure used, age at retrospective report, sex distribution of the sample, or study quality. These original findings are based on studies published before 2018; we will update the results based on new studies published by 2021 for the SRCD conference.

Authors

• Jessie R Baldwin, University College London (UCL)
  Presenting Author

• Aaron Reuben, Duke University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Joanne Newbury, University of Bristol
  Non-Presenting Author

• Andrea Danese, King's College London
  Non-Presenting Author