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Is birth weight associated with risk of depressive symptoms in young women? Evidence from the Southampton Women's Survey

Is birth weight associated with risk of depressive symptoms in young women? Evidence from the Southampton Women's Survey
Is birth weight associated with risk of depressive symptoms in young women? Evidence from the Southampton Women's Survey
Although some studies have shown negative associations between birth weight and risk of depression, others have not. Studies also differ regarding the age and gender specificity of reported associations. In this paper, the authors report on a study of 5,830 women aged 20–34 years from the general population in Southampton, United Kingdom, interviewed in 2000–2002 that found no relation between birth weight and current depressive symptoms or past treatment for depression. Prevalence ratios for current symptoms and for past treatment, in relation to reported or recorded birth weights, were all remarkably close to 1.0, with narrow 95% confidence intervals. For example, the prevalence ratio from the fully adjusted model for current depressive symptoms in relation to a standard deviation increase in reported birth weight was 1.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.98, 1.05). Generally, the associations reported elsewhere are not strong. The authors found a weak, inverse association in exploratory analyses of duration of gestation at birth in relation to depressive symptoms, but this finding requires replication. Because birth weight and duration of gestation are relatively poor markers of fetal development, other markers of fetal and early development should be explored. However, data from this study do not support a major developmental contribution to the etiology of depression in women.
0002-9262
164-168
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Dunn, Nick
181a3a1f-5ff7-4150-ad87-457fffb758ed
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Kendrick, Tony
c697a72c-c698-469d-8ac2-f00df40583e5
The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group
Inskip, Hazel M.
5fb4470a-9379-49b2-a533-9da8e61058b7
Dunn, Nick
181a3a1f-5ff7-4150-ad87-457fffb758ed
Godfrey, Keith M.
0931701e-fe2c-44b5-8f0d-ec5c7477a6fd
Cooper, Cyrus
e05f5612-b493-4273-9b71-9e0ce32bdad6
Kendrick, Tony
c697a72c-c698-469d-8ac2-f00df40583e5

Inskip, Hazel M., Dunn, Nick, Godfrey, Keith M., Cooper, Cyrus and Kendrick, Tony , The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group (2008) Is birth weight associated with risk of depressive symptoms in young women? Evidence from the Southampton Women's Survey. American Journal of Epidemiology, 167 (2), 164-168. (doi:10.1093/aje/kwm276).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Although some studies have shown negative associations between birth weight and risk of depression, others have not. Studies also differ regarding the age and gender specificity of reported associations. In this paper, the authors report on a study of 5,830 women aged 20–34 years from the general population in Southampton, United Kingdom, interviewed in 2000–2002 that found no relation between birth weight and current depressive symptoms or past treatment for depression. Prevalence ratios for current symptoms and for past treatment, in relation to reported or recorded birth weights, were all remarkably close to 1.0, with narrow 95% confidence intervals. For example, the prevalence ratio from the fully adjusted model for current depressive symptoms in relation to a standard deviation increase in reported birth weight was 1.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.98, 1.05). Generally, the associations reported elsewhere are not strong. The authors found a weak, inverse association in exploratory analyses of duration of gestation at birth in relation to depressive symptoms, but this finding requires replication. Because birth weight and duration of gestation are relatively poor markers of fetal development, other markers of fetal and early development should be explored. However, data from this study do not support a major developmental contribution to the etiology of depression in women.

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More information

Published date: 15 January 2008

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 49640
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/49640
ISSN: 0002-9262
PURE UUID: 28329435-8e8e-4bba-8387-ae8388f88d08
ORCID for Hazel M. Inskip: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-8897-1749
ORCID for Keith M. Godfrey: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-4643-0618
ORCID for Cyrus Cooper: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
ORCID for Tony Kendrick: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-1618-9381

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Date deposited: 16 Nov 2007
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 02:49

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Contributors

Author: Hazel M. Inskip ORCID iD
Author: Nick Dunn
Author: Cyrus Cooper ORCID iD
Author: Tony Kendrick ORCID iD
Corporate Author: The Southampton Women's Survey Study Group

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