Maternal Stress During Pregnancy and Schizophrenia Risk in Offspring
Author Information
Author(s): D. Malaspina, C. Corcoran, K.R. Kleinhaus, M.C. Perrin, S. Fennig, D. Nahon, Y. Friedlander, S. Harlap
Primary Institution: New York University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
Does acute maternal stress during pregnancy increase the risk of schizophrenia in offspring?
Conclusion
The study found that acute maternal stress during early pregnancy is associated with a higher incidence of schizophrenia in offspring, particularly in females.
Supporting Evidence
- The study linked birth records to a psychiatric registry to analyze the effects of maternal stress.
- Results indicated a raised incidence of schizophrenia for those in the second month of fetal life during the war.
- The findings suggest both sex-specific vulnerability and a narrow time window for gestational effects.
Takeaway
If a mom is really stressed during pregnancy, especially early on, it might make her baby more likely to have schizophrenia when they grow up.
Methodology
The study analyzed data from a cohort of 88,829 births linked to a psychiatric registry, using proportional hazards models to estimate the risk of schizophrenia based on gestational month and sex.
Potential Biases
Potential biases include the inability to account for individual maternal experiences of stress and the lack of information on gestational age.
Limitations
The study had small numbers for some analyses and could not assess the severity of disease or family associations due to anonymization.
Participant Demographics
The cohort consisted of births in Jerusalem from 1964 to 1976, with a focus on maternal stress during the Arab-Israeli war.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p < .0001
Confidence Interval
1.1–4.7
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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