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Association of mental health problems in childhood with prenatal and postnatal physical growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

Nicole Gunther ,
Marjan Drukker ,
Frans Feron  and
Jim Van Os
Nicole Gunther
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616 (DRT10), 6200MDMaastricht, The Netherlands
Marjan Drukker
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616 (DRT10), 6200MDMaastricht, The Netherlands
Frans Feron
Affiliation:
Youth Health Care Division, Municipal Health Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
Jim Van Os*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, South Limburg Mental Health Research and Teaching Network, EURON, Maastricht University, PO Box 616 (DRT10), 6200MDMaastricht, The Netherlands Division of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, UK
*
*Corresponding author. Tel.: +31 43 387 5443; fax: +31 43 387 5444. E-mail address: j.vanos@sp.unimaas.nl (J. Van Os).
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Abstract

Aims

The present study was conducted to examine (i) prenatal and postnatal patterns of growth in relation to the risk of later mental health problems in children and (ii) the possible mediating effect of these patterns of growth in the association between parental socioeconomic status (SES) and children’s mental health.

Subjects and methods

The present study is part of a blinded, matched case control study, involving a retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from routine examinations at community health services for children and adolescents. The sample comprised 80 patients, referred between the age of 6–13 years to the Community Mental Health Centre in Maastricht, and 320 matched population controls.

Results

Children coming from unemployed families weighed less at birth, but postnatal growth was not associated with this or other indicators of SES. Although children using mental health care were somewhat smaller at birth, there was no evidence that leanness during childhood was a risk factor for the development of mental health problems.

Conclusions

The present results showed some evidence for the impact of intrauterine development on children’s mental health problems. In addition, neither prenatal nor postnatal physical growth were on the pathway between parental SES and children’s mental health problems.

Keywords

Patterns of growthChild mental health service useSocioeconomic status
Type
Original article
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 20 , Issue 3 , May 2005 , pp. 277 - 286
Copyright
Copyright © Elsevier SAS 2005

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