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Preterm birth, poor foetal growth and anxiety disorders in a Finnish nationwide register sample
Author(s) -
Ståhlberg Tiia,
Upadhyaya Subina,
Khanal Prakash,
Sucksdorff Minna,
Luntamo Terhi,
Suominen Auli,
Sourander Andre
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
acta paediatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/apa.16377
Subject(s) - anxiety , medicine , odds ratio , depression (economics) , comorbidity , gestational age , pediatrics , cohort , logistic regression , cohort study , birth weight , pregnancy , psychiatry , genetics , biology , economics , macroeconomics
Abstract Aim We examined the associations between preterm birth, poor foetal growth and anxiety disorders among children and adolescents. Additionally, we examined the impact of common comorbidities and specific anxiety disorders separately. Methods Three Finnish registers provided data on a nationwide birth cohort of 22,181 cases with anxiety disorders and 74,726 controls. Conditional logistic regression was used to examine the associations. Results Extremely very preterm birth and moderate‐late preterm birth were associated with increased adjusted odds ratios (aOR) for anxiety disorders (aOR 1.39, 95% CI 1.11–1.75 and aOR 1.13, 95% CI 1.03–1.23, respectively). Weight for gestational age of less than −2SD (aOR 1.29, 95% CI 1.17–1.42) and −2SD to −1SD (aOR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03–1.14) were associated with increased odds ratios for anxiety disorders. When comorbidities were considered, the associations became statistically insignificant for pure anxiety disorders, but remained significant in the groups with comorbid depressive or neurodevelopmental disorders. Conclusion Preterm birth and poor foetal growth increased the odds for anxiety disorders. However, the associations seem to be explained by the conditions of comorbid depressive and neurodevelopmental disorders. Comorbidities should be considered when examining and treating child and adolescent anxiety disorders.