Maternal Psychiatric Conditions, Treatment With Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors, and Neurodevelopmental
Jennifer L Ames1, Christine Ladd-Acosta2, M Daniele Fallin2
1Division of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California.
Insights
Maternal psychiatric conditions during pregnancy are linked to a higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children. However, the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) by mothers did not significantly alter this risk.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Maternal mental health conditions and medication use during pregnancy are potential factors influencing offspring neurodevelopment.
- Understanding these associations is crucial for prenatal care and risk assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between maternal psychiatric conditions and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use during preconception and pregnancy.
- To determine the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring associated with these maternal factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Study to Explore Early Development, a multisite case-control study.
- Classified offspring into autism spectrum disorder (ASD), developmental delays or disorders (DDs), and general population controls using standardized assessments.
- Assessed maternal psychiatric conditions and SSRI use via self-report and medical records, employing logistic regression for analysis.
Main Results:
- Maternal psychiatric conditions and SSRI use were more prevalent in mothers of children with ASD or DDs compared to controls.
- Mothers with psychiatric conditions showed elevated odds of having children with ASD, regardless of SSRI use.
- SSRI use among mothers with psychiatric conditions was not significantly associated with an increased risk of ASD in offspring.
Conclusions:
- Maternal psychiatric conditions during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.
- The use of SSRIs by mothers with psychiatric conditions during pregnancy was not found to be significantly associated with the risk of these disorders in offspring.
Background:
This study aims to clarify relationships of maternal psychiatric conditions and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) use during preconception and pregnancy with risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.
Methods:
We used data from the Study to Explore Early Development, a multisite case-control study conducted in the United States among children born between 2003 and 2011. Final study group classifications of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 1367), developmental delays or disorders (DDs) (n = 1750), and general population controls (n = 1671) were determined by an in-person standardized developmental assessment. Maternal psychiatric conditions and SSRI use during pregnancy were ascertained from both self-report and medical records. We used logistic regression to evaluate associations of ASD and DDs (vs. population controls) with maternal psychiatric conditions and SSRI treatment in pregnancy. To reduce confounding by indication, we also examined SSRI associations in analyses restricted to mothers with psychiatric conditions during pregnancy.
Results:
Psychiatric conditions and SSRI use during pregnancy were significantly more common among mothers of children with either ASD or DDs than among population controls. Odds of ASD were similarly elevated among mothers with psychiatric conditions who did not use SSRIs during pregnancy (adjusted odds ratio 1.81, 95% confidence interval 1.44-2.27) as in mothers who did use SSRIs (adjusted odds ratio 2.05, 95% confidence interval 1.50-2.80). Among mothers with psychiatric conditions, SSRI use was not significantly associated with ASD in offspring (adjusted odds ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 0.80-1.62). Primary findings for DDs exhibited similar relationships to those observed with ASD.
Conclusions:
Maternal psychiatric conditions but not use of SSRIs during pregnancy were associated with increased risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring.
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