Department of Psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Department of Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2020 Dec;11(6):632-639. doi: 10.1017/S2040174419000771. Epub 2019 Nov 22.
The mental health of adult extremely low birth weight (ELBW) (<1000 g) survivors is poorer than their normal birth weight (NBW) peers. An understanding of the modifiable factors that affect this risk could provide targets for intervention. We set out to determine the extent to which a maternal history of mental health problems influenced mental health in ELBW and NBW offspring in adulthood. A total of 85 ELBW and 88 NBW individuals born between 1977 and 1982 in central west Ontario, Canada self-reported on internalizing (depression, anxiety) and externalizing (attention-deficit hyperactivity and antisocial) problems using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) scales of the Young Adult Self-Report at ages 22-26 and 30-35. They also reported on their mother's maternal mental health using the Family History Screen. An interaction was found between birth weight status and maternal history of an anxiety disorder such that ELBW survivors showed a greater increase in internalizing scores than NBW participants at 22-26 (β = 10.27, p = 0.002) and at 30-35 years of age (β = 12.65, p = 0.002). An interaction was also observed between birth weight and maternal history of mood disorder, with higher externalizing scores in ELBW survivors than NBW adults at 22-26 (β = 7.21, p < 0.0001). ELBW adults appear to be more susceptible to the adverse mental health effects of exposure to maternal mood and anxiety disorders than those born at NBW. These links further highlight the importance of detecting and treating mental health problems in the parents of preterm survivors as a means of attempting to reduce the burden of psychopathology in this population.
极低出生体重儿（ELBW，出生体重＜1000 克）成年幸存者的心理健康状况不如其正常出生体重（NBW）同龄人。了解影响这种风险的可改变因素可能为干预提供目标。我们旨在确定母亲的心理健康问题史在多大程度上影响了 ELBW 和 NBW 后代成年后的心理健康。总共 85 名出生于 1977 年至 1982 年期间加拿大安大略省中西部的 ELBW 和 88 名 NBW 个体，在 22-26 岁和 30-35 岁时，使用青年自评诊断与统计手册（DSM）量表，通过自身报告的方式评估了内化（抑郁、焦虑）和外化（注意缺陷多动和反社会）问题。他们还通过家庭病史筛查报告了母亲的精神健康史。在出生体重状况和母亲焦虑障碍病史之间发现了一个交互作用，即 ELBW 幸存者在 22-26 岁（β=10.27，p=0.002）和 30-35 岁时，其内化评分的增加大于 NBW 参与者（β=10.27，p=0.002）。在出生体重和母亲心境障碍病史之间也观察到了一个交互作用，ELBW 幸存者在 22-26 岁时的外化评分高于 NBW 成年人（β=7.21，p＜0.0001）。ELBW 成年人似乎比 NBW 出生的成年人更容易受到母亲心境和焦虑障碍暴露的不良心理健康影响。这些联系进一步强调了检测和治疗早产儿父母的心理健康问题的重要性，这是试图减轻该人群精神病理学负担的一种手段。
