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ERIC Number: EJ1489400
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Dec
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1362-3613
EISSN: EISSN-1461-7005
Available Date: 0000-00-00
The Role of Obstetric Adversities in Neurodevelopmental Conditions: A Sibling Study
Sandra Gómez-Vallejo1,2,3; Oaia Iriondo-Blanco2; Gonzalo Salazar de Pablo4,5,6; Rosa Calvo Escalona1,2,3; Luisa Lázaro García1,2,3
Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, v29 n12 p3072-3082 2025
Neurodevelopmental conditions (NDC) are highly heritable. Obstetric complications (OC) have been studied as potential predictors for NDC, although results are inconsistent. Inconsistencies might be related to biases such as family confounders. While some studies using sibling and twin designs have examined the association between OC and NDC, this body of research remains limited, and findings to date remain inconsistent. We used a case-control sibling study including children aged 6--17 years across five groups: those diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), co-occurring ASD + ADHD, their unaffected siblings and a comparison group without NDC. For analytic purposes, we created a combined NDC group including all individuals with ASD, ADHD or both. Participants were recruited between 2021 and 2022 from a tertiary hospital in Spain. We examined the association of NDC and OC using single predictors and cumulative OC. The study adheres to the STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. A total of 238 participants were included (NDC = 117, unaffected siblings = 82, comparison group = 39). We found that NDC individuals showed more neonatal complications than the comparison group ([beta] = 1.73, 95% CI = 1.00-2.98, p = 0.04), which remained significant in the sibling analysis ([beta] = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.02-2.00, p = 0.04). This study supports that the cumulative neonatal complications, rather than specific factors, are associated with increased likelihood of being diagnosed with NDC, beyond familial confounding. Results highlight the neonatal period as a relevant window of vulnerability.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Spain (Barcelona)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona (UB), C. Casanova, 143, 08036 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; 2Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clinic of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Institut d’Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Spain; 4Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London UK; 5Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; 6Institute of Psychiatry and Mental Health. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón (IiSGM), CIBERSAM, Madrid, Spain