A good birth weight can help reduce mental health problems in children

New research from the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has found that babies with a larger birth weight are less likely to have mental health and behavioral problems in childhood and adolescence.

These findings may help identify and support children at high risk of psychological distress.

The study, published in European children and adolescents PsychiatryIt examined birth weight and subsequent mental health in thousands of children in Ireland. Unlike many studies looking at birth weight, the government-funded ongoing study of children born between 1997 and 1998 used data that followed the same children through childhood and adolescence.

The analysis found that each kilogram of weight above average birth weight (3.5kg or 7lbs 11oz) was associated with mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. According to the study, these problems related to birth weight are more common in childhood between 9 and 17 years. ADHD). Each kilogram drop below the average birth weight was associated with a 2% increase in the risk of ADHD-like behaviors, but such behaviors were within the normal range. That is, even among children with a very low birth weight (1.5 kg), average ADHD symptoms probably do not meet the criteria for an ADHD diagnosis.

Low birth weight was associated with emotional and social problems, particularly in the late teens. These problems were found to be more severe and closer to clinical thresholds, for example, for a diagnosis of depression or anxiety.

We’ve known for years that low birth weight and preterm delivery are associated with a higher risk of mental illness in the child. This study shows that even small deviations from normal birth weight can be beneficial.”

Professor Mary Cannon, Professor of Psychiatric Epidemiology and Youth Mental Health at the RSCI and Principal Investigator

said Niamh Dooley, PhD student and lead author of the study. “This association between birth weight and children’s mental health holds even after accounting for factors that may influence birth weight and mental health, such as gender, socioeconomic factors, and parental mental illness history. The effect of birth weight on later mental health may be small.” But it may interact with other risks, such as genetics and childhood stress, and may have implications for understanding the origins of mental health and illness.

This study shows the importance of good prenatal care and suggests that improving women’s overall health during pregnancy can help reduce mental health problems to ensure good birth weight. Children with low birth weight may benefit from childhood psychological assessment and early intervention for mental health symptoms to help reduce the burden of mental illness in adolescence and adulthood.

More research has been published by the group A study of psychopathology in children and adolescents. A significant percentage of the association between birth weight and Irish children can be explained by maternal factors during pregnancy (smoking, alcohol use, non-prescription drug use).

This research was supported by a STAR International PhD Scholarship awarded to Nimh Dooley and funding from the Health Research Board and the Irish Research Council. Open access funding is provided by the IREL Consortium. Professor Cannon is supported by a European Research Council Consolidation Award.