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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
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Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants

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Maternal stress and perinatal features in autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Gökçe Nur Say1, Koray Karabekiroğlu1, Zehra Babadağı1

  • 1Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayıs University, Samsun, Turkey.

Pediatrics International : Official Journal of the Japan Pediatric Society
|September 5, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) share perinatal risk factors like prematurity and maternal stress during pregnancy. Postpartum maternal mood may differentiate ASD, while breastfeeding duration may relate to ADHD.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Perinatal Psychiatry
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Investigated shared and unique perinatal risk factors for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Examined maternal stress and breastfeeding duration in relation to ASD and ADHD.
  • Focused on a clinical sample for comparative analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify common and distinct perinatal risk factors for ASD and ADHD.
  • To compare maternal pre/postpartum stress levels between ASD and ADHD groups.
  • To explore the association between breastfeeding duration and these neurodevelopmental conditions.

Main Methods:

  • Compared clinical samples of children aged 3-18 years with ASD (n=100) and ADHD (n=100).
  • Included age- and gender-matched healthy controls (n=80) for comparison.
  • Analyzed perinatal data, including maternal stress and breastfeeding duration.

Main Results:

  • Prematurity and maternal prenatal stress/depressive mood were identified as shared risk factors for both ASD and ADHD.
  • Postpartum maternal depressive mood appeared more specific to ASD.
  • Shorter breastfeeding duration was associated with ADHD.

Conclusions:

  • ASD and ADHD share certain perinatal characteristics.
  • Identifying these perinatal factors has implications for primary prevention strategies.
  • Understanding unique and shared risk factors can inform targeted interventions.
Abstract

Keywords:
attention deficit/hyperactivity disorderautismbreastfeedingmaternal stresspostpartum depression

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