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Maternal depression and anxiety before and after childbirth are significantly associated with a higher risk of asthma and specific asthma phenotypes in children.
Maternal psychological health during pregnancy and the postpartum period continues to emerge as an important factor influencing long-term childhood health outcomes. A large population-based study was conducted to evaluate the independent and combined effects of maternal prenatal and postnatal depressive and anxiety disorders on childhood asthma and its allergic and non-allergic phenotypes.
Researchers analyzed nationwide healthcare registry data involving 310,701 children born between 2001 and 2006 and their 232,240 mothers. Maternal depressive disorders were identified using diagnostic codes F30, F31, F32–F34, and F38, while anxiety disorders were defined using F40–F42, F44–F45, and F48 classifications.
Maternal psychiatric conditions were categorized according to timing, including prenatal exposure from one year before pregnancy until delivery and postnatal exposure from childbirth to three years postpartum. Childhood asthma outcomes assessed between 7 and 12 years of age included overall asthma, allergic asthma, and non-allergic asthma phenotypes. Statistical analyses evaluated associations between maternal mental health disorders and offspring respiratory outcomes.
Findings from the study population indicated that:
They concluded that maternal depressive and anxiety disorders during both prenatal and postnatal periods were associated with an increased likelihood of childhood asthma, with distinct effects observed across asthma phenotypes. The significant influence of postnatal psychological distress suggested that maternal mental health after childbirth may independently contribute to respiratory vulnerability in offspring.
Journal of Psychosomatic Research
Maternal pre- and postnatal depression and anxiety: Impacts on childhood asthma and its phenotypes
Eetu Kanerva et al.
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