ERIC Number: EJ1460764
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Mar
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-01-28
The Association between Threatened Miscarriage and Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Offspring by Age 14 Years
Daire Buckley1; Ali S. Khashan1,2; Fergus P. McCarthy1,3; Karen O'Connor4,5; Gillian M. Maher1,2
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n3 p1057-1066 2025
Objective: To examine the association between threatened miscarriage, and neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring by age 14 years. Methods: We used data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative longitudinal study of children born in the UK. Data on threatened miscarriage and potential confounders were maternal-reported and collected at 9 months postpartum. Data on ASD and ADHD were based on maternal-reported doctor diagnoses and collected when children were aged 5, 7, 11 and 14 years. A diagnosis of ASD or ADHD was assumed if parents reported ASD or ADHD at age 5, 7, 11 or 14 years. Crude and adjusted logistic regression examined threatened miscarriage and ASD and ADHD relationship, adjusting for several sociodemographic, maternal and lifestyle factors. Results: A total of 18,294 singleton babies were included at baseline, and 1,104 (6.0%) women experienced a threatened miscarriage during their pregnancy. Adjusted results suggested an association between threatened miscarriage and ASD (OR: 1.55, 95% CI 1.15, 2.08), and ADHD (OR: 1.51, 95% CI 1.09, 2.10) by age 14 years. E-values for threatened miscarriage and ASD were 2.47, while the lower limits of the 95% CI were 1.57. E-values for threatened miscarriage and ADHD were 2.39, while the corresponding lower limits of the 95% CI were 1.40. Conclusion: Threatened miscarriage was associated with an increased likelihood of ASD and ADHD by the age of 14 years, however, residual confounding cannot be ruled out. Placental pathology may be a potential mechanism for the observed associations.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Pregnancy, Children, Early Adolescents, Correlation, Foreign Countries, Individual Characteristics
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1University College Cork, INFANT Research Centre, Cork, Ireland; 2University College Cork, School of Public Health, Cork, Ireland; 3University College Cork, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Cork, Ireland; 4RISE, South Lee Mental Health Services, Early Intervention in Psychosis Team, Cork, Ireland; 5University College Cork, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Science, Cork, Ireland