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https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1115599
INTRO: A research team from the Department of Psychiatry at Tohoku University, led by Dr. Zhiqian Yu and Professor Hiroaki Tomita, has uncovered compelling evidence that maternal perinatal depression - psychological distress occurring during pregnancy or postpartum - elevates the risk of autistic-related traits in toddlers, with a particularly strong impact on girls.
Their findings are derived from a large-scale Japanese cohort of over 23,000 mother-child pairs (the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study) and supported by mouse experiments. These findings provide important insights into how maternal mental health influences early neurodevelopment, which could help create guidelines to protect the wellbeing of both mother and child.
Using data from the cohort, the team assessed depressive symptoms during early and mid-gestation and at one month postpartum. Higher maternal scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) or the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were significantly associated with increased autistic-related traits in toddlers, as measured by the Tokyo Autistic Behavior Scale (TABS).
Notably, although autism is generally more common in boys, the risk associated with maternal perinatal depression was especially pronounced in girls. Additionally, girls showed lower birth weights and a stronger association between autistic traits and impaired mother-infant bonding (the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale; MIBS)... (MORE - details, no ads)
INTRO: A research team from the Department of Psychiatry at Tohoku University, led by Dr. Zhiqian Yu and Professor Hiroaki Tomita, has uncovered compelling evidence that maternal perinatal depression - psychological distress occurring during pregnancy or postpartum - elevates the risk of autistic-related traits in toddlers, with a particularly strong impact on girls.
Their findings are derived from a large-scale Japanese cohort of over 23,000 mother-child pairs (the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project Birth and Three-Generation Cohort Study) and supported by mouse experiments. These findings provide important insights into how maternal mental health influences early neurodevelopment, which could help create guidelines to protect the wellbeing of both mother and child.
Using data from the cohort, the team assessed depressive symptoms during early and mid-gestation and at one month postpartum. Higher maternal scores on the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) or the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) were significantly associated with increased autistic-related traits in toddlers, as measured by the Tokyo Autistic Behavior Scale (TABS).
Notably, although autism is generally more common in boys, the risk associated with maternal perinatal depression was especially pronounced in girls. Additionally, girls showed lower birth weights and a stronger association between autistic traits and impaired mother-infant bonding (the Mother-to-Infant Bonding Scale; MIBS)... (MORE - details, no ads)