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Maternal age at childbirth and offspring disruptive behaviors: testing the causal hypothesis.

ABSTRACT: Recent studies suggest that the association between maternal age at childbearing (MAC) and children's disruptive behaviors is the result of family factors that are confounded with both variables, rather than a casual effect of environmental factors specifically related to MAC. These studies, however, relied on restricted samples and did not use the strongest approach to test causal influences.Using data on 9,171 4-9-year-old and 6,592 10-13-year-old offspring of women from a nationally representative sample of US households, we conducted sibling-comparison analyses. The analyses ruled out all genetic factors that could confound the association, as well as all environmental confounds that differ between unrelated nuclear families, providing a strong test of the causal hypothesis that the environments of children born at different maternal ages influence mother- and self-reported disruptive behaviors.When these genetic and environmental confounds were ruled out as alternative explanations, the relation between environments within nuclear families specifically associated with MAC and disruptive behaviors was robust, with the association being stronger for second- and third-born children.Environmental factors specifically associated with early MAC within nuclear families account for increased risk of offspring disruptive behaviors, especially in later-born children.

SUBMITTER: D'Onofrio BM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2936232 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Maternal age at childbirth and offspring disruptive behaviors: testing the causal hypothesis.

D'Onofrio Brian M BM Goodnight Jackson A JA Van Hulle Carol A CA Rodgers Joseph Lee JL Rathouz Paul J PJ Waldman Irwin D ID Lahey Benjamin B BB

Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines 20090311 8

<h4>Background</h4>Recent studies suggest that the association between maternal age at childbearing (MAC) and children's disruptive behaviors is the result of family factors that are confounded with both variables, rather than a casual effect of environmental factors specifically related to MAC. These studies, however, relied on restricted samples and did not use the strongest approach to test causal influences.<h4>Methods</h4>Using data on 9,171 4-9-year-old and 6,592 10-13-year-old offspring o ...[more]

PMID: 19281603

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Project description:BackgroundStudies have shown that young maternal age at childbirth can increase the risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, but a study of the U.S. population has not been reported. Moreover, there is no reported research on young and advanced maternal age at childbirth and whether it can contribute to the risk of learning disability (LD) in offspring.MethodsThis study evaluated the association between young and advanced maternal age at childbirth and offspring risk of ADHD and LD in the U.S. population. Using data from 8,098 participants included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted in 1999-2004, we analyzed the association between maternal age at childbirth and ADHD and LD risk in offspring. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for maternal age at childbirth in association with ADHD and LD risk in offspring were estimated using multivariate logistic regression models after adjustment for age, sex, race, body mass index (BMI), poverty income ratio, smoking status during pregnancy, and NHANES cycle. Restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were used to evaluate potential non-linear relationships. Sensitivity analyses were performed to ensure the reliability of the results.ResultsAmong all participants, the offspring of subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 18-24 years had an increased risk of ADHD (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.79) and LD (OR = 1.36, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.79) or either ADHD or LD (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.20, 1.81). Additionally, compared with subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 25-29 years, subjects with a maternal age at childbirth of 35-39 years had lower odds of having offspring with ADHD (OR = 0.60, 95% CI: 0.36, 1.00) and higher odds of having offspring with LD (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.78). The relationship between maternal age at childbirth and LD risk presented a U-shaped curve.ConclusionsThese results provide epidemiological evidence showing that young and advanced maternal age at childbirth are associated with ADHD and LD risk.

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Maternal age at childbirth and offspring disruptive behaviors: testing the causal hypothesis.

Publications

Maternal age at childbirth and offspring disruptive behaviors: testing the causal hypothesis.

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