Maternal Age, Stress and Developmental Disorders in the Offspring
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Advanced Age Parenthood and Developmental Disorders in the Offspring: an analysis of characteristics of advanced age nulliparous and multiparous mothers, combined with maternal stress, as predictors of ASD and ADHD.
IRAS ID
239964
Contact name
Kristin Toso
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Advanced Age Parenthood and Developmental Disorders in the Offspring: an analysis of characteristics of advanced age nulliparous and multiparous mothers, combined with maternal stress, as predictors of ASD and ADHD in the Northern Ireland population.\n\nThere has been a demographic shift over the last 30 years towards mothers getting pregnant later in life and studies also suggest that this increases the risk of having a child later diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD has also appeared to increase in the population over the last few decades. The annual economic burden to the UK was estimated at nearly 32 billion pounds in 2009 making it the most costly health condition. The numbers affected by these disorders, the family, economic and professional burdens and the relative success of early intervention mean that research into prevention or early identification of offspring at risk is critical.\n \nAs maternal stress has been shown to be linked with autism (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)in offspring we will examine factors that could indicate increased maternal stress such as environmental stressors and psychological stress. Characteristics of nulliparous and multiparous women who give birth after age 35 will be investigated. This study seeks to discover whether the combination of advanced maternal age and maternal stress will increase the risk of developmental disorders more than the advanced age or maternal stress alone. This will inform the practical application of the findings of this study. Programmes that can support the mental and emotional well being of older mothers during pregnancy may be beneficial and increased awareness among professionals of the risks in this group may help with early identification and early interventions.\n\nThis study will analyse anonymised, linked data from the 2001 and 2011 censuses, health records and the school censuses for the Northern Ireland population between 2005 and 2015.
REC name
North of Scotland Research Ethics Committee 1
REC reference
18/NS/0007
Date of REC Opinion
25 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion