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Motor development in children prenatally exposed to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors: a large population-based

M Handal1, S Skurtveit2,3, K Furu2

  • 1Division of Epidemiology, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. marte.handal@fhi.no.

BJOG : an International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
|September 17, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was weakly linked to delayed motor development in children. This association persisted even after accounting for maternal anxiety and depression.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Selective serotonin reuptuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are commonly prescribed during pregnancy.
  • Maternal mental health conditions like anxiety and depression are prevalent during pregnancy.
  • Understanding the impact of prenatal SSRI exposure on child development is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between prenatal SSRI exposure and motor development in children.
  • To assess the influence of maternal anxiety and depression on this association.
  • To determine the clinical significance of any observed delays in motor development.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based prospective pregnancy cohort study (Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study).
  • Inclusion of 51,404 singleton pregnancies with SSRI use data collected before and during pregnancy.
  • Motor development assessed at age 3 years using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ) and Mullen Scales of Early Learning.

Main Results:

  • Prolonged prenatal SSRI exposure (n=159) was associated with a delay in fine motor development (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.07-1.87).
  • This association remained after adjusting for maternal anxiety and depression symptoms.
  • Maternal depression partially explained the association, while postpartum depression did not impact the SSRI effect.

Conclusions:

  • Prolonged prenatal SSRI exposure shows a weak association with delayed motor development at age 3 years.
  • The observed motor development delay was not considered clinically significant.
  • Prenatal SSRI exposure appears to be weakly associated with delayed motor development, independent of maternal depression.
Abstract

Keywords:
AnxietyNorwegian Mother and Child Cohort study (MoBa)cohort studiesdepressionpregnancypsychomotor disorderselective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

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