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Risk of affective disorders following prenatal exposure to severe life events: a Danish population-based cohort study.
Khashan, Ali S McNamee, Roseanne Henriksen, Tine B Pedersen, Marianne G Kenny, Louise C Abel, Kathryn M Mortensen, Preben B
Khashan, Ali S
McNamee, Roseanne
Henriksen, Tine B
Pedersen, Marianne G
Kenny, Louise C
Abel, Kathryn M
Mortensen, Preben B
Advisors
Editors
Other Contributors
Date
2012-01-31T16:43:12Z
Date Submitted
Keywords
Other Subjects
Subject Mesh
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Child
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Denmark
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant, Newborn
*Life Change Events
Male
Middle Aged
Mood Disorders/*epidemiology/*psychology
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/*psychology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Young Adult
Adult
Aged
Child
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Denmark
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant, Newborn
*Life Change Events
Male
Middle Aged
Mood Disorders/*epidemiology/*psychology
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects/*psychology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Young Adult
Planned Date
Start Date
Collaborators
Principal Investigators
Alternative Titles
Publisher
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of prenatal exposure to severe life events on risk of affective disorders in the offspring. METHODS: In a cohort of 1.1 million Danish births from May 1978 until December 1997, mothers were considered exposed if one (or more) of their close relatives died or was diagnosed with serious illness up to 6 months before conception or during pregnancy. Offspring were followed up from their 10th birthday until their death, migration, onset of affective disorder or 31 December 2007; hospital admissions were identified by linkage to the Central Psychiatric Register. Log-linear Poisson regression was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The risk of affective disorders was increased in male offspring whose mothers were exposed to severe life events during the second trimester (adjusted RR 1.55 [95% CI 1.05-2.28]). There was an increased risk of male offspring affective disorders in relation to maternal exposure to death of a relative in the second trimester (adjusted RR 1.74 [95% CI 1.06-2.84]) or serious illness in a relative before pregnancy (adjusted RR 1.44 [95% CI 1.02-2.05]). There was no evidence for an association between prenatal exposure to severe life events and risk of female offspring affective disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Our population-based study suggests that prenatal maternal exposure to severe life events may increase the risk of affective disorders in male offspring. These findings are consistent with studies of populations exposed to famine and earthquake disasters which indicate that prenatal environment may influence the neurodevelopment of the unborn child.
Language
eng
ISSN
1879-1379 (Electronic)
0022-3956 (Linking)
0022-3956 (Linking)
eISSN
ISBN
DOI
10.1016/j.jpsychires.2010.12.005
PMID
21208629