Maternal anorexia nervosa and risk of mental and neurodevelopmental morbidity in offspring

IF 4.4 3区医学 Q1 PEDIATRICS

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Pub Date : 2026-04-27 Epub Date: 2025-12-02 DOI:10.1111/camh.70051

Sam Amar, Gabriel Côté-Corriveau, Mimi Israël, Howard Steiger, Nancy Low, Nicholas Chadi, Émilie Brousseau, Nahantara Lafleur, Nathalie Auger

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Abstract

Background

Anorexia nervosa has the potential to affect fetal neurodevelopment. We examined the association between maternal anorexia nervosa and mental, substance-related, and neurodevelopmental morbidity in offspring.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 1,269,370 children in Quebec, Canada, between 2006 and 2022. The main exposure was maternal anorexia nervosa requiring admission. The outcome was childhood hospitalization for mental, substance-related, or neurodevelopmental disorders between birth and age 17 years, with follow-up ending in 2023. We estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the association between maternal anorexia nervosa and child outcomes using Cox regression models adjusted for patient characteristics.

Results

In total, 2,447 (0.2%) children had a mother admitted for anorexia nervosa. Children of mothers with anorexia nervosa had higher hospitalization rates for mental, substance-related, and neurodevelopmental morbidity than other children (104.7 vs. 51.4 per 1,000 by age 17 years). Children whose mothers had anorexia nervosa were particularly at risk of mental health hospitalization (HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.52–3.49), especially for anorexia nervosa (HR 10.62, 95% CI 5.06–22.29) and anxiety and stress disorders (HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.09–3.08), compared with unexposed children. Maternal anorexia nervosa was associated with substance-related (HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.26–3.21) and neurodevelopmental morbidity in children (HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19–2.01).

Conclusion

Maternal anorexia nervosa is associated with childhood hospitalization for mental health, substance-related, and neurodevelopmental morbidity, although results should be interpreted with caution owing to potential confounders. Mothers with anorexia nervosa may benefit from psychosocial support to prevent mental and neurodevelopmental morbidity in offspring.

Abstract Image

查看原文本刊更多论文

母亲神经性厌食症与后代精神和神经发育疾病的风险。

背景：神经性厌食症有可能影响胎儿神经发育。我们研究了母亲神经性厌食症与后代精神、物质相关和神经发育发病率之间的关系。方法：我们在2006年至2022年间对加拿大魁北克省的1,269,370名儿童进行了回顾性队列研究。主要暴露为产妇神经性厌食症。结果是儿童在出生至17岁期间因精神、物质相关或神经发育障碍住院，随访于2023年结束。我们使用经患者特征调整的Cox回归模型估计了母亲神经性厌食症与儿童结局之间关联的风险比（HR）和95%置信区间（CI）。结果：共有2447例（0.2%）患儿的母亲因神经性厌食症入院。神经性厌食症母亲的孩子在精神、物质相关和神经发育疾病方面的住院率高于其他儿童（17岁时为104.7比51.4）。与未暴露的儿童相比，母亲患有神经性厌食症的儿童尤其有精神健康住院的风险（HR 2.30, 95% CI 1.52-3.49），特别是神经性厌食症（HR 10.62, 95% CI 5.06-22.29）和焦虑和应激障碍（HR 1.84, 95% CI 1.09-3.08）。母亲神经性厌食症与儿童的物质相关发病率（HR 2.01, 95% CI 1.26-3.21）和神经发育发病率相关（HR 1.55, 95% CI 1.19-2.01）。结论：母亲神经性厌食症与儿童因精神健康、物质相关和神经发育疾病住院有关，尽管由于潜在的混杂因素，结果应谨慎解释。神经性厌食症的母亲可能受益于社会心理支持，以防止后代的精神和神经发育疾病。

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来源期刊

Child and Adolescent Mental Health PEDIATRICS-PSYCHIATRY

CiteScore

8.30

自引率

3.30%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) publishes high quality, peer-reviewed child and adolescent mental health services research of relevance to academics, clinicians and commissioners internationally. The journal''s principal aim is to foster evidence-based clinical practice and clinically orientated research among clinicians and health services researchers working with children and adolescents, parents and their families in relation to or with a particular interest in mental health. CAMH publishes reviews, original articles, and pilot reports of innovative approaches, interventions, clinical methods and service developments. The journal has regular sections on Measurement Issues, Innovations in Practice, Global Child Mental Health and Humanities. All published papers should be of direct relevance to mental health practitioners and clearly draw out clinical implications for the field.