There is growing appreciation that chronic diseases in adulthood have their roots in early experiences during childhood (Ben-Shlomo and Kuh, 2002; Hertzman, 1999). This is also true for depression, one of the most disabling diseases globally (Danese et al., 2008; Murray and Lopez, 1997). Although adversity at every stage of life contributes to the risk of depression, the effects of childhood experiences are most profound and enduring (Brown et al., 2008; Cicchetti and Rogosch, 2009). Childhood maltreatment, in the form of abuse or neglect, is unfortunately a common experience (Hussey et al., 2006; May-Chahal and Cawson, 2005), and is associated with a 50% increase in the odds of depression in adult life (Widom et al., 2007; Wise et al., 2001). Although childhood maltreatment is a potent risk factor, there are substantial individual differences in outcome and many individuals who experienced maltreatment during childhood remain healthy (Caspi et al., 2010; Cicchetti and Rogosch, 2009).
