PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS IN THE OFFSPRING OF MOTHERS WITH ANTENATAL FATIGUE AND STRESS

ABSTRACT Maternal stress during pregnancy is commonly associated with adverse obstetric outcomes, but long-term psychiatric outcomes of antenatal fatigue in the offspring remain unknown. The aim of this study is to identify potential associations between maternal antenatal fatigue and stress, and offspring psychiatric diagnoses. This study is based on the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (n=9432 children). Maternal fatigue was assessed with a one-item self-reported question and antenatal stress by elevated blood pressure, blood glucose and hsCRP levels. Cohort members with psychiatric diagnoses were identified using the Finnish Care Register for Health Care. To study associations between maternal stress and fatigue and offspring psychiatric diagnoses, chi-square tests and Cox proportional hazard regression models were conducted utilizing gestational smoking, alcohol use, marital status, maternal education and parental psychiatric diagnoses as confounders. Female offspring whose mothers had fatigue and/or stress had more borderline personality disorders, while male offspring had more mental disorders related to alcohol use and mood disorders, compared to participants without maternal antenatal fatigue or stress. Results suggest maternal antenatal fatigue and stress may have associations with offspring psychiatric disorders, but clinical implications are uncertain. Considering the prevalence of fatigue and stress among pregnant mothers, preventive and supportive interventions could be favourable for offspring.