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The interaction between perinatal factors and childhood abuse in the risk of developing anorexia nervosa

A Favaro1, E Tenconi, P Santonastaso

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, University of Padua, 35128 Padova, Italy. angela.favaro@unipd.it

Psychological Medicine
|August 13, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Neonatal dysmaturity combined with childhood abuse significantly increases anorexia nervosa (AN) risk. This suggests prenatal programming affects stress response and resilience to adversity.

Area of Science:

  • Perinatal psychiatry
  • Developmental neuroscience
  • Psychiatric epidemiology

Background:

  • Perinatal factors are implicated in anorexia nervosa (AN) pathogenesis.
  • Potential programming of human stress response systems by perinatal events.
  • Investigating pathways linking perinatal complications to psychiatric disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the association between perinatal complications and anorexia nervosa.
  • To test if neonatal immaturity enhances vulnerability to AN after childhood abuse.
  • To understand the role of neonatal factors in AN development.

Main Methods:

  • Case-control and cohort study design.
  • Sample of 663 subjects born between 1971-1979 in Padua.
  • Analysis of general population and AN outpatient cases.

Main Results:

  • Neonatal dysmaturity, not low birthweight or prematurity, interacted with childhood abuse to increase AN risk.
  • Neonatal dysmaturity was linked to being small, short, or thin for gestational age in controls, but not in AN patients.
  • Significant additive interaction found between neonatal dysmaturity and childhood abuse.

Conclusions:

  • Synergistic effect of neonatal dysmaturity and childhood abuse on AN risk.
  • Evidence supports prenatal programming of stress response systems.
  • Impaired resilience to severe stress may result from prenatal programming.
Abstract

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