Maternal age at childbirth and risk for ADHD in offspring: a population-based cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Women who give birth at younger ages (e.g. teenage mothers) are more likely to have children who exhibit behaviour problems, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, it is not clear whether young maternal age is causally associated with poor offspring outcomes or confounded by familial factors.

Methods

The association between early maternal age at childbirth and offspring ADHD was studied using data from Swedish national registers. The sample included all children born in Sweden between 1988 and 2003 (N = 1 495 543), including 30 674 children with ADHD. We used sibling- and cousin-comparisons to control for unmeasured genetic and environmental confounding. Further, we used a children-of-siblings model to quantify the genetic and environmen

SUBMITTER: Chang Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4276066 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature