Prenatal Antidepressant Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits: A Retrospective, Multi-Cohort Study

Patricia A. Brennan; Anne L. Dunlop; Lisa A. Croen; Lyndsay A. Avalos; Amy L. Salisbury; Alison E. Hipwell; Sara S. Nozadi; Sheela Sathyanarayana; Rosa M. Crum; Rashelle Musci; Mingyi Li; Xiuhong Li; Maxwell Mansolf; Thomas G. O’Connor; Amy J. Elliott; Nidhi Ghildayal; Pi I.D. Lin; Jenna L.N. Sprowles; Joseph B. Stanford; Casper Bendixsen; Sally Ozonoff; Barry M. Lester; Coral L. Shuster; Kathi C. Huddleston; Jonathan Posner; Nigel Paneth

doi:10.1007/s10802-022-01000-5

Prenatal Antidepressant Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits: A Retrospective, Multi-Cohort Study

Patricia A. Brennan, Anne L. Dunlop, Lisa A. Croen, Lyndsay A. Avalos, Amy L. Salisbury, Alison E. Hipwell, Sara S. Nozadi, Sheela Sathyanarayana, Rosa M. Crum, Rashelle Musci, Mingyi Li, Xiuhong Li, Maxwell Mansolf, Thomas G. O’Connor, Amy J. Elliott, Nidhi Ghildayal, Pi I.D. Lin, Jenna L.N. Sprowles, Joseph B. Stanford, Casper BendixsenSally Ozonoff, Barry M. Lester, Coral L. Shuster, Kathi C. Huddleston, Jonathan Posner, Nigel Paneth

Bloomberg School of Public Health

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Prenatal antidepressant exposure has been associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study utilized multi-cohort data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program (N = 3129) to test for this association, and determine whether the association remained after adjusting for maternal prenatal depression and other potential confounders. Antidepressants and a subset of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were examined in relation to binary (e.g., diagnostic) and continuous measures of ASD and ASD related traits (e.g., social difficulties, behavior problems) in children 1.5 to 12 years of age. Child sex was tested as an effect modifier. While prenatal antidepressant exposure was associated with ASD related traits in univariate analyses, these associations were statistically non-significant in models that adjusted for prenatal maternal depression and other maternal and child characteristics. Sex assigned at birth was not an effect modifier for the prenatal antidepressant and child ASD relationship. Overall, we found no association between prenatal antidepressant exposures and ASD diagnoses or traits. Discontinuation of antidepressants in pregnancy does not appear to be warranted on the basis of increased risk for offspring ASD.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	513-527
Number of pages	15
Journal	Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology
Volume	51
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-01000-5
State	Published - Apr 2023

Keywords

Antidepressants
Autism spectrum disorder
Neurodevelopment
Prenatal

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Psychiatry and Mental health
Developmental and Educational Psychology

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10.1007/s10802-022-01000-5

Cite this

Brennan, P. A., Dunlop, A. L., Croen, L. A., Avalos, L. A., Salisbury, A. L., Hipwell, A. E., Nozadi, S. S., Sathyanarayana, S., Crum, R. M., Musci, R., Li, M., Li, X., Mansolf, M., O’Connor, T. G., Elliott, A. J., Ghildayal, N., Lin, P. I. D., Sprowles, J. L. N., Stanford, J. B., ... Paneth, N. (2023). Prenatal Antidepressant Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits: A Retrospective, Multi-Cohort Study. Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, 51(4), 513-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-01000-5

Brennan, PA, Dunlop, AL, Croen, LA, Avalos, LA, Salisbury, AL, Hipwell, AE, Nozadi, SS, Sathyanarayana, S, Crum, RM , Musci, R, Li, M, Li, X, Mansolf, M, O’Connor, TG, Elliott, AJ, Ghildayal, N, Lin, PID, Sprowles, JLN, Stanford, JB, Bendixsen, C, Ozonoff, S, Lester, BM, Shuster, CL, Huddleston, KC, Posner, J & Paneth, N 2023, 'Prenatal Antidepressant Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits: A Retrospective, Multi-Cohort Study', Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 513-527. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-022-01000-5

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abstract = "Prenatal antidepressant exposure has been associated with increased risk for neurodevelopmental disorders in childhood, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study utilized multi-cohort data from the Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes (ECHO) program (N = 3129) to test for this association, and determine whether the association remained after adjusting for maternal prenatal depression and other potential confounders. Antidepressants and a subset of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were examined in relation to binary (e.g., diagnostic) and continuous measures of ASD and ASD related traits (e.g., social difficulties, behavior problems) in children 1.5 to 12 years of age. Child sex was tested as an effect modifier. While prenatal antidepressant exposure was associated with ASD related traits in univariate analyses, these associations were statistically non-significant in models that adjusted for prenatal maternal depression and other maternal and child characteristics. Sex assigned at birth was not an effect modifier for the prenatal antidepressant and child ASD relationship. Overall, we found no association between prenatal antidepressant exposures and ASD diagnoses or traits. Discontinuation of antidepressants in pregnancy does not appear to be warranted on the basis of increased risk for offspring ASD.",

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AU - Avalos, Lyndsay A.

AU - Salisbury, Amy L.

AU - Hipwell, Alison E.

AU - Nozadi, Sara S.

AU - Sathyanarayana, Sheela

AU - Crum, Rosa M.

AU - Musci, Rashelle

AU - Li, Mingyi

AU - Li, Xiuhong

AU - Mansolf, Maxwell

AU - O’Connor, Thomas G.

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AU - Ghildayal, Nidhi

AU - Lin, Pi I.D.

AU - Sprowles, Jenna L.N.

AU - Stanford, Joseph B.

AU - Bendixsen, Casper

AU - Ozonoff, Sally

AU - Lester, Barry M.

AU - Shuster, Coral L.

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Prenatal Antidepressant Exposures and Autism Spectrum Disorder or Traits: A Retrospective, Multi-Cohort Study

Abstract

Keywords

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