Emotion Reactivity and Regulation in Maltreated Children: A Meta-Analysis Iris Lavi University of Haifa Lynn Fainsilber Katz University of Washington Emily J. Ozer University of California, Berkeley James J. Gross Stanford University The many adverse effects of child maltreatment make the scientific investigation of this phenomenon a matter of vital importance. Although the relationship between maltreatment and problematic emotion reactivity and regulation has been studied, the strength and specificity of these associations are not yet clear. We examine the magnitude of the maltreatment—child-emotion reactivity/regulation link. Studies with substantiated mal- treatment involving children aged up to 18 were included, along with a smaller number of longitudinal stud- ies (58 papers reviewed, encompassing more than 11,900 children). In comparison to nonmaltreated children, maltreated children experience more negative emotions, behave in a manner indicative of more negative emo- tion, and display emotion dysregulation. We outline several theoretical implications of our results. The topic of child maltreatment has occupied researchers in the past 6 decades, since the term “battered child syndrome” gained currency (Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, & Silver, 1962). Interest in this complex, significant issue remains high, with more than 300 publications with the term “child maltreatment” in the title in 2017 alone (Google Scholar database, retrieved on August 9, 2018). Child maltreatment includes acts or omission of acts by a parent or other caregiver that result in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child (Leeb, Paulozzzi, Melanson, Simon, & Arias, 2008). Acts of child maltreatment are fre- quently divided into four subtypes: physical abuse, neglect, emotional maltreatment, and sexual abuse (Barnett, Manly, & Cicchetti, 1993; Cicchetti & Toth, 2005). Most studies addressing maltreatment addressed several subtypes of maltreatment while excluding sexual abuse (e.g., Schofield, Conger, & Conger, 2017; Teisl & Cicchetti, 2008; Young & Widom, 2014), recognizing that, in the literature, sexual abuse frequently incorporates acts commit- ted by other persons close to the child and not exclusively by the parents (e.g., Paolucci, Genuis, & Violato, 2001). In this review, we will follow the classic distinction between sexual abuse and other forms of maltreatment (Belsky, 1993) and address outcomes related to physical abuse, neglect, and emotional maltreatment. One central focus in research on child maltreat- ment has been emotional processes of maltreated children, including emotion reactivity and regula- tion (e.g., Kim & Cicchetti, 2010; Shields & Cicchetti, 2001; Skowron, Cipriano-Essel, Gatzke-Kopp, Teti, & Ammerman, 2014). Emotion reactivity is the reac- tion when an emotion arises—the subjective feeling, behavioral manifestation, and bodily response. Emo- tion reactivity varies in its valence (negative or posi- tive) and intensity (strong or weak; Gross & Jazaieri, 2014; Gross & Thompson, 2007). Emotion regulation is the way individuals influence which emotions they have, when they have them, and how they experience and express them (Gross, 1998). In this study, we examine the reactivity–maltreatment and regulation–maltreatment relationships sepa- rately, and compare the magnitudes of both connec- tions. We also investigate the relationships between maltreatment and individual subprocesses within reactivity and regulation, such as intensity of anger, and compare magnitudes of the connections. These comparisons shed light on which specific emotional processes are most closely linked to maltreatment, This research was supported in part by the Haruv Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship and by the Marie Curie International Outgoing Fellowship awarded to Iris Lavi. The funding source did not influence the findings or the report and the authors report no conflict of interest. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Iris Lavi, University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave. Mount Car- mel, Haifa 3498838, Israel. Electronic mail may be sent to iris.lavi.01@gmail.com. © 2019 Society for Research in Child Development All rights reserved. 0009-3920/2019/xxxx-xxxx DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13272 Child Development, xxxx 2019, Volume 00, Number 0, Pages 1–22