Poor maternal care and high maternal body mass index in pregnancy as a risk factor for schizophrenia in offspring

Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2004 Oct;110(4):257-63. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0447.2004.00380.x.

Abstract

Objective: We investigated whether antenatal factors in mothers would increase the risk of schizophrenia in the offspring, and also examined any relationship between these factors and histories of obstetric complications (OCs).

Method: Using the Mother and Child Health Handbooks of 52 patients with schizophrenia and 284 healthy subjects, we evaluated the risk-increasing effects of the frequency of antenatal care visits and mothers' body mass index (BMI) at both early and late pregnancy.

Results: In logistic regression analysis, there was a significant association between the number of antenatal care visits and the risk of the disorder; an increase in a unit of visits corresponds to a reduction of the risk by 12%. We also found a 24% increase in the risk with a one-unit increase of BMI at the early pregnancy, and a 19% increase at the late pregnancy. These antenatal factors were found to contribute, in part, to an excess of OCs in individuals with schizophrenia.

Conclusion: Poor maternal care during pregnancy and comparatively high maternal BMI especially at early pregnancy may cause a predisposition to schizophrenia in the offspring.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Body Mass Index
  • Female
  • Health Behavior
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Logistic Models
  • Male
  • Maternal Behavior*
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Risk Factors
  • Schizophrenia / epidemiology*