Abstract

Background: Women with psychiatric diagnoses are at increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), with potential life-long impact on offspring health. Less is known about the risk of PTB in offspring of fathers with psychiatric diagnoses, and for couples where both parents were diagnosed. In a nationwide birth cohort, we examined the association between psychiatric history in fathers, mothers, and both parents and gestational age.

Methods and findings: We included all infants live-born to Nordic parents in 1997 to 2016 in Sweden. Psychiatric diagnoses were obtained from the National Patient Register. Data on gestational age were retrieved from the Medical Birth Register. Associations between parental psychiatric history and PTB were quantified by relative risk (RR) and two-sided 95% confidence intervals (CIs) from log-binomial regressions, by psychiatric disorders overall and by diagnostic categories. We extended the analysis beyond PTB by calculating risks over the whole distribution of gestational age, including “early term” (37 to 38 weeks).

Among the 1,488,920 infants born throughout the study period, 1,268,507 were born to parents without a psychiatric diagnosis, of whom 73,094 (5.8%) were born preterm. 4,597 of 73,500 (6.3%) infants were born preterm to fathers with a psychiatric diagnosis, 8,917 of 122,611 (7.3%) infants were born preterm to mothers with a pscyhiatric diagnosis, and 2,026 of 24,302 (8.3%) infants were born preterm to both parents with a pscyhiatric diagnosis. We observed a shift towards earlier gestational age in offspring of parents with psychiatric history. The risks of PTB associated with paternal and maternal psychiatric diagnoses were similar for different psychiatric disorders. The risks for PTB were estimated at RR 1.12 (95% CI [1.08, 1.15] p < 0.001) for paternal diagnoses, at RR 1.31 (95% CI [1.28, 1.34] p < 0.001) for maternal diagnoses, and at RR 1.52 (95% CI [1.46, 1.59] p < 0.001) when both parents were diagnosed with any psychiatric disorder, compared to when neither parent had a psychiatric diagnosis. Stress-related disorders were associated with the highest risks of PTB with corresponding RRs estimated at 1.23 (95% CI [1.16, 1.31] p < 0.001) for a psychiatry history in fathers, at 1.47 (95% CI [1.42, 1.53] p < 0.001) for mothers, and at 1.90 (95% CI [1.64, 2.20] p < 0.001) for both parents. The risks for early term were similar to PTB. Co-occurring diagnoses from different diagnostic categories increased risk; for fathers: RR 1.10 (95% CI [1.07, 1.13] p < 0.001), 1.15 (95% CI [1.09, 1.21] p < 0.001), and 1.33 (95% CI [1.23, 1.43] p < 0.001), for diagnoses in 1, 2, and ≥3 categories; for mothers: RR 1.25 (95% CI [1.22, 1.28] p < 0.001), 1.39 (95% CI [1.34, 1.44] p < 0.001) and 1.65 (95% CI [1.56, 1.74] p < 0.001). Despite the large sample size, statistical precision was limited in subgroups, mainly where both parents had specific psychiatric subtypes. Pathophysiology and genetics underlying different psychiatric diagnoses can be heterogeneous.

Conclusions: Paternal and maternal psychiatric history were associated with a shift to earlier gestational age and increased risk of births before full term. The risk consistently increased when fathers had a positive history of different psychiatric disorders, increased further when mothers were diagnosed and was highest when both parents were diagnosed.