Abstract
Restricted fetal growth and young maternal age have been associated with increased risk of suicidal behaviour later in life. Research investigating the independent and interacting effects of these risk factors with parental mental health and socio-economic status is scarce. A case–control study was effected through record linkage between Swedish registers. Individuals born 1973–1983 who were hospitalized due to a suicide attempt (n = 17,159) or committed suicide (n = 1,407) were matched to ≤10 controls by sex, month and county of birth. Controlling for parental conditions, significantly increased odds ratios (OR) for suicide attempt were found for low birth weight (OR = 1.12, 95 % CI 1.01–1.25), short birth length (OR = 1.15, 95 % CI 1.08–1.22), short and light for gestational age (OR = 1.23, 95 % CI: 1.10-1.38), short but not light for gestational age (OR = 1.18, 95 % CI: 1.09, 1.29), teenage motherhood (OR = 1.66, 95 % CI 1.53–1.80), young fatherhood (OR = 1.33, 95 % CI 1.27–1.39) and multiparity (OR = 1.40, 95 % CI 1.31–1.50). For completed suicide, increased odds ratios were found for low birth weight (OR = 1.65, 95 % CI 1.16–2.35), teenage motherhood (OR = 1.44, 95 % CI 1.09–1.90) and young fatherhood (OR = 1.20, 95 % CI 1.02–1.41). There was a synergy effect between teenage motherhood and parental psychiatric inpatient care with regard to suicide attempt in offspring [synergy index = 1.53 (95 % CI 1.27–1.84)]. Low birth weight and length, and short and light for gestational age may increase the risk of subsequent suicidal behaviour, and more research is needed to investigate underlying mechanisms. Public health implications from this study include measures to improve pre- and perinatal parental mental health, particularly in teenage pregnancies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Schlotz W, Phillips DI. Fetal origins of mental health: evidence and mechanisms. Brain Behav Immun. 2009;23:905–16.
Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Rasmussen F, Wasserman D. Restricted fetal growth and adverse maternal psychosocial and socioeconomic conditions as risk factors for suicidal behaviour of offspring: a cohort study. Lancet. 2004;364:1135–40.
Gravseth HM, Mehlum L, Bjerkedal T, Kristensen P. Suicide in young Norwegians in a life course perspective: population based cohort study. J Epidemiol Commun H. 2010;64:407–12.
Young R, Riordan V, Stark C. Perinatal and psychosocial circumstances associated with risk of attempted suicide, non-suicidal self-injury and psychiatric service use. A longitudinal study of young people. BMC Pub Health. 2011;11:875.
Danziger PD, Silverwood R, Koupil I. Fetal growth, early life circumstances, and risk of suicide in late adulthood. Eur J Epidemiol. 2011;26:571–81.
Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Wasserman D, Rasmussen F. Fetal and childhood growth and the risk of violent and non-violent suicide attempts: a cohort study of 318953 men. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2008;62:168–73.
Riordan DV, Selvaraj S, Stark C, Gilbert ES. Perinatal circumstances and risk of offspring suicide: birth cohort study. Brit J Psychiatry. 2006;189:502–7.
Salk L, Lipsitt LP, Sturner WQ, Reilly BM, Levat RH. Relationship of maternal and perinatal conditions to eventual adolescent suicide. Lancet. 1985;325:624–7.
Bale TL, Baram TZ, Brown AS, Goldstein JM, Insel TR, McCarthy MM, Nemeroff CB, Reyes TM, Simerly RB, Susser ES, Nestler EJ. Early life programming and neurodevelopmental disorders. Biol Psychiatry. 2010;68:314–9.
Koubovec D, Geerts L, Odendaal HJ, Stein DJ, Vythilingum B. Effects of psychologic stress on fetal development and pregnancy outcome. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2005;7:274–80.
Weinstock M. The potential influence of maternal stress hormones on development and mental health of the offspring. Brain Behav Immun. 2005;19:296–308.
Kajantie E. Fetal origins of stress-related adult disease. Ann NY Acad Med. 2006;1083:11–27.
Brown AS, Susser ES, Lin SP, Neugebauer R, Gorman JM. Increased risk of affective disorders in males after second trimester prenatal exposure to the Dutch hunger winter of 1944–45. Br J Psychiatry. 1995;166:601–6.
Hussain N. Epigenetic influences that modulate infant growth, development, and disease. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2012 (in press). doi:10.1089/ars.2011.448.
Stahl SM. Methylated spirits: epigenetic hypotheses of psychiatric disorders. CNS Spectr. 2010;15:220–30.
Niederkrotenthaler T, Floderus B, Alexanderson K, Rasmusen F, Mittendorfer-Rutz E. Exposure to parental mortality and markers of morbidity and the risks of attempted and completed suicide in offspring–an analysis of sensitive life periods. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2012;66:233–9.
Agerbo E, Nordentoft M, Mortensen PB. Familial, psychiatric, and socioeconomic risk factors for suicide in young people: nested case-control study. Brit Med J. 2002;325:74.
Gold KJ, Marcus SM. Effect of maternal mental illness on pregnancy outcomes. Expert Rev of Ostet Gynecol. 2008;3:391–401.
Ekeus C, Olausson PO, Hjern A. Psychiatric morbidity is related to parental age: a national cohort study. Psychol Med. 2006;36:269–76.
Lee PA, Chernausek SD, Hokken-Koelega ACS, Czernichow P. International small for gestational age advisory board consensus development conference statement: management of short children born small for gestational age, April 24–October 1, 2001. Pediatrics. 2003;111:1253–1261.
Albertsson-Wikland K, Karlberg J. Postnatal growth of children born small for gestational age. Acta Paediatr. 1997;423:193–5.
van Os J, Pedersen CB, Mortensen PB. Confirmation of synergy between urbanicity and familial liability in the causation of psychosis. Am J Psychiat. 2004;161:2312–4.
Clarke MC, Tanskanen A, Huttunen M, Whittaker JC, Cannon M. Evidence for an interaction between familial liability and prenatal exposure to infection in the causation of schizophrenia. Am J Psychiat. 2009;166:1025–30.
Mittendorfer-Rutz E, Wasserman D. Pregnancies in high psychosocial risk groups: research findings and implications for early intervention. Psychiatr Clinics N Am. 2008;31:205–12.
Statistics Sweden. Programmet för befolkningsstatistik. Flergenerationsregistret [Population Statistics. Multi-generation register, in Swedish]. Stockholm: Statistics Sweden; 2001.
National Board of Health and Welfare. Dödsorsaksregistret, Patientregistret [online resource, in Swedish]. Stockholm: National Board of Health and Welfare; 2009. http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/publikationer2009/2009-125-18 http://www.socialstyrelsen.se/publikationer2009/2009-125-15.
Cnattingius S, Ericson A, Gunnarskog J, Kallen B. A quality study of a medical birth register. Scand J Soc Med. 1990;18:143–8.
Niklasson A, Ericson A, Lawrence JGC, Karlberg P. An update of the Swedish reference standards for weight, length and head circumference at birth for given gestational age (1977–1981). Acta Paediatr Scand. 1991;80:756–62.
Statistics Sweden. Folk- och Bostadsräkningen 1990. Del 5: Förvärvsarbetande och yrke [Population and Housing Census 1990. Employed population and occupation, in Swedish]. Stockholm: Statistics Sweden; 1992.
Statistics Sweden. Folk- och Bostadsräkningen 1990. Del 2: Folkmängd och sammanboende [Population and Housing Census 1990. Population and cohabitation, in Swedish]. Halmstad: Statistics Sweden; 1992.
Erikson R. Social class assignment and mortality in Sweden. Soc Sci Med. 2005;62:2151–60.
Rothman K, Greenland S. Modern epidemiology. 3rd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2008.
Andersson T, Alfredsson L, Kallberg H, Zdravkovic S, Ahlbom A. Calculating measures of biological interaction. Eur J Epidemiol. 2005;20:575–9.
Rothman KJ. Synergy and antagonism in cause-effect relationships. Am J Epidemiol. 1974;99:385–8.
Ludvigsson JF, Otterblad-Olausson P, Pettersson BU, Ekbom A. The Swedish personal identity number: possibilities and pitfalls in healthcare and medical research. Eur J Epidemiol. 2009;24:659–67.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe. Mental health: facing the challenges, building solutions. Report from the WHO European Ministerial Conference. Copenhagen: WHO, 2005. Available at: www.euro.who.int/document/e87301.pdf. Accessed 10 May 2012.
Ramberg IL, Wasserman D. Prevalence of reported suicidal behavior in the general population and mental health-care staff. Psychol Med. 2000;30:1189–96.
Barker DJP. Maternal nutrition, fetal nutrition, and disease in later life. Nutrition. 1997;13:807–13.
Cnattingius S, Svensson T, Granath F, Iliadou A. Maternal smoking during pregnancy and risks of suicidal acts in young offspring. Eur J Epidemiol. 2011;26:485–92.
Sugden C. One-carbon metabolism in psychiatric illness. Nutr Res Rev. 2006;19:117–36.
Godfrey PSA, Toone BK, Bottiglien T, Laundy M, Reynolds EH, Carney MWP, Flynn TG, Chanarin I. Enhancement of recovery from psychiatric illness by methylfolate. Lancet. 1990;336:392–5.
Kemppainen L, Makikyro T, Jokelainen J, Nieminen P, Järvelin MR, Isohanni M. Is grand multiparity associated with offsprings’ hospital-treated mental disorders? A 28-year follow-up of the North Finland 1966 birth cohort. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2000;35:104–8.
Aronen ET, Arajarvi T. Effects of early intervention on psychiatric symptoms of young adults in low-risk and high-risk families. Am J Orthopsychiat. 2000;70:223–32.
Wadsby M, Sydsjo G, Svedin CG. Evaluation of an intervention programme to support mothers and babies at psychosocial risk: assessment of mother/child interaction and mother’s perceptions of benefit. Health Soc Care Community. 2001;9:125–33.
Acknowledgments
EMR is the recipient of the Assistant Professorship grant from the Swedish Research Council.
Conflict of interest
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Niederkrotenthaler, T., Rasmussen, F. & Mittendorfer-Rutz, E. Perinatal conditions and parental age at birth as risk markers for subsequent suicide attempt and suicide: a population based case–control study. Eur J Epidemiol 27, 729–738 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-012-9724-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-012-9724-4