Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T19:51:15.743Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Pre-pregnancy maternal overweight and obesity increase the risk for affective disorders in offspring

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 September 2012

M. Robinson*
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia School of Psychology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
S. R. Zubrick
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
C. E. Pennell
Affiliation:
School of Women's and Infants’ Health, King Edward Memorial Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Australia
R. J. Van Lieshout
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
P. Jacoby
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
L. J. Beilin
Affiliation:
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
T. A. Mori
Affiliation:
School of Medicine and Pharmacology, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
F. J. Stanley
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
J. P. Newnham
Affiliation:
School of Women's and Infants’ Health, King Edward Memorial Hospital, The University of Western Australia, Australia
W. H. Oddy
Affiliation:
Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
*
*Address for correspondence: Dr M. Robinson, Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, PO Box 855, West Perth, WA 6872, Australia. (Email [email protected])

Abstract

Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity has been linked with an increased risk for negative emotionality and inattentiveness in offspring in early childhood. The aim of this study was to examine the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and the development of affective problems (dysthymic disorder, major depressive disorder) throughout childhood and adolescence. In the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study, 2900 women provided data on their pre-pregnancy weight, and height measurements were taken at 18 weeks of gestation. BMI was calculated and categorized using standardized methods. Live-born children (n = 2868) were followed up at ages 5, 8, 10, 14 and 17 years using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-oriented scales of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL/4–18). Longitudinal models were applied to assess the relationships between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and affective problems from age 5 through 17. There was a higher risk of affective problems between the ages of 5 and 17 years among children of women who were overweight and obese compared with the offspring of women in the healthy pre-pregnancy weight range (BMI 18.5–24.99) after adjustment for confounders, including paternal BMI. Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obesity may be implicated in the development of affective problems, including depression, in their offspring later in life.

Type
Original Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2012 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Callaway, LK, Prins, JB, Chang, AM, McIntyre, HD. The prevalence and impact of overweight and obesity in an Australian obstetric population. Med J Aust. 2006; 184, 5659.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Birdsall, KM, Vyas, S, Khazaezadeh, N, Oteng-Ntim, E. Maternal obesity: a review of interventions. Int J Clin Pract. 2009; 63, 494507.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Newnham, JP, Pennell, CE, Lye, SJ, Rampono, J, Challis, JRG. Early life origins of obesity. Obstet Gynecol Clin North Am. 2009; 36, 227244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Van Lieshout, RJ, Taylor, VH, Boyle, MH. Pre-pregnancy and pregnancy obesity and neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring: a systematic review. Obes Rev. 2011; 12, e548e559.Google Scholar
5.Rodriguez, A, Miettunen, J, Henriksen, TB, et al. Maternal adiposity prior to pregnancy is associated with ADHD symptoms in offspring: evidence from three prospective pregnancy cohorts. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008; 32, 550557.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Rodriguez, A. Maternal pre-pregnancy obesity and risk for inattention and negative emotionality in children. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2010; 51, 134143.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Brion, MJ, Zeegers, M, Jaddoe, V, et al. Intrauterine effects of maternal prepregnancy overweight on child cognition and behavior in 2 cohorts. Pediatrics. 2011; 127, e202e211.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing: Summary of Results (4326.0), 2008. ABS: Canberra.Google Scholar
9.Alati, R, Lawlor, DA, Mamun, AA, et al. Is there a fetal origin of depression? Evidence from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and its outcomes. Am J Epidemiol. 2007; 165, 575582.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10.Robinson, M, Oddy, WH, Li, J, et al. Pre- and postnatal influences on preschool mental health: a large-scale cohort study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008; 49, 11181128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
11.Koponen, H, Jokelainen, J, Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, S, Kumpusalo, E, Vanhala, M. Metabolic syndrome predisposes to depressive symptoms: a population-based 7-year follow-up study. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008; 69, 178182.Google Scholar
12.Newnham, JP, Evans, SF, Michael, CA, Stanley, FJ, Landau, LI. Effects of frequent ultrasound during pregnancy: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 1993; 342, 887891.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Robinson, M, Oddy, WH, McLean, NJ, et al. Low-moderate prenatal alcohol exposure and risk to child behavioural development. BJOG. 2010; 117, 11391152.Google Scholar
14.Achenbach, TM. Manual for the Child Behavior Checklist/4–18 and 1991 Profile, 1991. University of Vermont, Department of Psychiatry: Burlington.Google Scholar
15.Zubrick, S, Silburn, S, Gurrin, L, et al. Western Australian Child Health Survey: Education, Health and Competence, 1997. Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (ISBN 0 642 17239 0). Perth, Western Australia.Google Scholar
16.Achenbach, TM. CBCL DSM-Oriented Scales, 2001. ASEBA: Burlington, VT, USA.Google Scholar
17.American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Revised (DSM-IV-R), 4th edn. 2000, American Psychiatric Association: Washington.Google Scholar
18.World Health Organization (WHO). Obesity: Preventing and Managing the Global Epidemic, 2004. WHO: Geneva.Google Scholar
19.World Health Organisation Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004; 363, 157163.Google Scholar
20.Tennant, C, Andrews, G. A scale to measure the stress of life events. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 1976; 10, 2732.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Zeger, SL, Liang, KY, Albert, PS. Models for longitudinal data – a generalized estimating equation approach. Biometrics. 1988; 44, 10491060.Google Scholar
22.De Los Reyes, A, Kazdin, AE. Informant discrepancies in the assessment of childhood psychopathology: a critical review, theoretical framework, and recommendations for further study. Psychol Bull. 2005; 131, 483509.Google Scholar
23.Doherty, DA, Magann, EF, Francis, J, Morrison, JC, Newnham, JP. Pre-pregnancy body mass index and pregnancy outcomes. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2006; 95, 242247.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
24.Robinson, M, Mattes, E, Oddy, WH, et al. Hypertensive diseases of pregnancy and the development of behavioural problems in childhood and adolescence: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort Study. J Pediatr. 2009; 154, 218224.Google Scholar
25.Zubrick, S, Kurinczuk, J, McDermott, B, et al. Fetal growth and subsequent mental health problems in children aged 4 to 13 years. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2000; 42, 1420.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Stjernqvist, K, Svenningsen, NW. Ten-year follow-up of children born before 29 gestational weeks: health, cognitive development, behaviour and school achievement. Acta Paediatrica. 1999; 88, 557562.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
27.Alati, R, Najman, JM, O'Callaghan, M, et al. Fetal growth and behaviour problems in early adolescence: findings from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy. Int J Epidemiol. 2009; 38, 13901400.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
28.Robinson, M, Kendall, GE, Jacoby, P, et al. Lifestyle and demographic correlates of poor mental health in early adolescence. J Paediatr Child Health. 2011; 47, 5461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
29.Marcus, MD, Wildes, JE. Obesity: Is it a mental disorder? Int J Eat Disord. 2009; 42, 739753.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
30.Warnick, EM, Bracken, MB, Kasl, S. Screening efficiency of the Child Behavior Checklist and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire: a systematic review. Child Adolesc Ment Health. 2008; 13, 140147.Google Scholar
31.Huber, LRB. Validity of self-reported height and weight in women of reproductive age. Matern Child Health J. 2007; 11, 137144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
32.Catalano, PM, Ehrenberg, HM. The short- and long-term implications of maternal obesity on the mother and her offspring. BJOG. 2006; 113, 11261133.Google Scholar