Prenatal adverse life events and their association with neurodevelopmental outcomes in 7-year-old children

The aim of the study was to examine the associations between adverse life events in the family during pregnancy and neurodevelopmental outcomes in children at 7.5 years of age.

Data from 490 mother–child pairs from the Swedish Environmental Longitudinal, Mother and child, Asthma and allergy study were used. Adverse life events were recorded retrospectively by questionnaires when the child was 4 years old. Neurodevelopmental outcomes were assessed when the child was approximately 7.5 years old using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – fourth edition (WISC-IV). For statistical analysis of this cohort study, linear, quasipoisson and logistic regression models were used, and models were adjusted for confounders, and an interaction term between the exposure and sex was added to assess differences between girls and boys.

Boys whose family experienced at least one adverse life event during pregnancy had increased scores in the SDQ and increased odds when using the clinically relevant cutoff (β 0.28, 95% CI 0.06, 0.50 and OR 2.80, 95% CI 1.23, 6.41). Further, exposure during the first trimester increased scores of SDQ and SRS in boys (β 0.56, 95% CI 0.17, 0.94 and β 5.83, 95% CI 1.07, 10.59). No statistically significant associations were seen in girls or models, considering the WISC-IV.

Adverse life events during pregnancy seem to increase boys’ behavioural difficulties and risk of autistic traits. Further, the first trimester seems to be a vulnerable window of exposure.