Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25355726›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of epidemiology2014

Maternal age at childbirth and risk for ADHD in offspring: a population-based cohort study.

Zheng Chang, Paul Lichtenstein, Brian M D'Onofrio, Catarina Almqvist, Ralf Kuja-Halkola, Arvid Sjölander, Henrik Larsson

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in International journal of epidemiology, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 60 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
60citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

60 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Parental Age and the Risk of ADHD in Offspring: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Association between infant feeding and ADHD development in childhood: a birth cohort study in Taiwan.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025
    Article
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  18. Review
  19. A Potential Role for Neuroinflammation in ADHD.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2023
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Zheng ChangDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden zheng.chang@ki.se.
Paul LichtensteinDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Brian M D'OnofrioDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Catarina AlmqvistDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Ralf Kuja-HalkolaDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Arvid SjölanderDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
Henrik LarssonDepartment of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA and Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

Funding

Risks and Benefits of ADHD Medication for Psychiatric and Neurologic ProblemsR01MH102221 · NIMH · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · PI D'ONOFRIO, BRIAN M, LARSSON, HENRIK · 2014 to 2017
$1.7M
Quasi-experimental studies of early risk factors for severe psychopathologyR01HD061817 · NICHD · TRUSTEES OF INDIANA UNIVERSITY · PI D'ONOFRIO, BRIAN M, LICHTENSTEIN, PAUL · 2010 to 2013
$1.3M
NICHD NIH HHS HD061817NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH102221
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWomen who give birth at younger ages (e.g. teenage mothers) are more likely to have children who exhibit behaviour problems, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, it is not clear whether young maternal age is causally associated with poor offspring outcomes or confounded by familial factors.

methodsThe association between early maternal age at childbirth and offspring ADHD was studied using data from Swedish national registers. The sample included all children born in Sweden between 1988 and 2003 (N = 1 495 543), including 30 674 children with ADHD. We used sibling- and cousin-comparisons to control for unmeasured genetic and environmental confounding. Further, we used a children-of-siblings model to quantify the genetic and environmental contribution to the association between maternal age and offspring ADHD.

resultsMaternal age at first birth (MAFB) was associated with offspring ADHD. Teenage childbirth (<20 years) was associated with 78% increased risk of ADHD. The association attenuated in cousin-comparison, suggesting unmeasured familial confounding. The children-of-siblings model indicated that the association between MAFB and ADHD was mainly explained by genetic confounding.

conclusionsAll children born to mothers who bore their first child early in their reproductive lives were at increased risk of ADHD. The association was mainly explained by genetic factors transmitted from mothers to their offspring that contribute to both age at childbirth and ADHD in offspring. Our results highlight the importance of using family-based designs to understand how early life circumstances affect child development.

Indexed as

Maternal AgeAdolescentAdultAttention Deficit Disorder with HyperactivityChildChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesFemaleHumansMalePregnancyPregnancy in AdolescenceProportional Hazards ModelsSiblingsSwedenYoung AdultADHDfamily-based designmaternal age

Identifiers

PMID25355726
PMCPMC4276066

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.