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Maternal age at childbirth and risk for ADHD in offspring: a population-based cohort study

Zheng Chang1, Paul Lichtenstein2, Brian M D'Onofrio2

  • 1Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden zheng.chang@ki.se.

International Journal of Epidemiology
|October 31, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Children born to teenage mothers face a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This association is primarily due to genetic factors, not just environmental influences.

Area of Science:

  • Reproductive Health
  • Child Development
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Young maternal age is linked to behavioral issues in offspring, including ADHD.
  • The causal link between early childbirth and offspring ADHD is unclear, potentially confounded by familial factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early maternal age at childbirth and offspring ADHD.
  • To differentiate between causal and familial confounding factors in this association.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized Swedish national registers for a large cohort (N=1,495,543).
  • Employed sibling and cousin comparisons to control for unmeasured genetic and environmental factors.
  • Applied a children-of-siblings model to quantify genetic and environmental contributions.

Main Results:

  • Maternal age at first birth (MAFB) showed a significant association with offspring ADHD.
  • Teenage childbirth (<20 years) correlated with a 78% increased risk of ADHD.
  • The association attenuated with cousin comparisons, indicating familial confounding, largely explained by genetic factors.

Conclusions:

  • Children born to mothers who gave birth at a young age are at increased risk for ADHD.
  • Genetic factors transmitted from mother to offspring significantly explain the link between early childbirth and ADHD.
  • Family-based designs are crucial for understanding early life circumstances' impact on child development.
Abstract

Keywords:
ADHDfamily-based designmaternal age

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