Childhood Maltreatment and Emotional Intelligence Across Development: A Multilevel Meta-Analytic Review

In recent years, research on the impact of childhood maltreatment on emotional intelligence has expanded. However, inconsistencies persist due to variations in maltreatment types, participant age, sample characteristics, cultural context, and measurement approaches. Systematic meta-analytic integration of these findings remains lacking. The present study employed a three-level meta-analytic framework to evaluate the effects of different maltreatment types on emotional intelligence and to examine potential moderators. A systematic search of five English and three Chinese databases identified 45 eligible studies, encompassing 97 effect sizes and 26,433 participants. Results revealed a significant negative association between childhood maltreatment and emotional intelligence ( r = −.196, 95% CI [−0.233, −0.159], p < .001). Among maltreatment subtypes, emotional neglect exhibited the strongest adverse effect, exceeding that of physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse, while the effects of physical neglect and emotional abuse were greater than those of sexual abuse. Moderator analyses indicated that participant age and methodological rigor significantly influenced effect sizes, whereas cultural context, sample characteristics, measurement instruments, and publication type did not. Finally, this study clarifies the differential effects of childhood maltreatment on emotional intelligence, advances understanding of early adversity and emotional development, and underscores the importance of early detection and age-appropriate interventions.