ArticleMolecular psychiatry2016
Autism risk associated with parental age and with increasing difference in age between the parents.
Article in Molecular psychiatry, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 126 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
126 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- A assessment of the effects of parental age on the development of autism in children: a systematic review and a meta-analysis.BMC psychology · 2024Pooled it
- Comprehensive meta-analysis reveals association between multiple imprinting disorders and conception by assisted reproductive technology.Journal of assisted reproduction and genetics · 2018Pooled it
- Long-Term Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Population-Based Matched Cohort Study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Exploring Parental Factors in Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk: A Case-Control Study.Maternal and child health journal · 2026Article
- Impact of socioeconomic factors and birth-related conditions on autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder.BMC pediatrics · 2026Article
- Exploring factors associated with autism spectrum disorder diagnosis among children in primary care clinics in Kelantan, Malaysia.BMC primary care · 2026Article
- Challenges and coping experiences in caring for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in central region, Ghana.BMC psychology · 2026Article
- Review
- The emerging role of gene therapy in autism spectrum disorder.Discover mental health · 2026Review
- Advancing understanding of the mechanisms of autism spectrum disorder through perinatal risk factors.Journal of neural transmission (Vienna, Austria : 1996) · 2026Review
- Time trends in the male to female ratio for autism incidence: population based, prospectively collected, birth cohort study.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2026Article
- Global burden of autism spectrum disorders among population aged 70 years and older from 1990-2021, with projections to 2040: findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021.Molecular psychiatry · 2026Article
- Exploring the Association Between Parental Age and Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk in Qatar.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Navigating the Complex Landscape of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Challenges and Opportunities in Diagnosis, Treatment, and Supports.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Autism spectrum-related symptoms and clinical ASD diagnoses in children and adolescents with classical galactosemia: a descriptive clinical cohort study.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Article
- Burden of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Kenyan Children.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Maternal body mass index in early pregnancy and autism in offspring: a population-based cohort study in Sweden and Denmark.BMC medicine · 2025Article
- Parental major life events before or during pregnancy and autistic behaviors among preschool children.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Cerebrotendinous Xanthomatosis Disease Prevalence in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Prospective Observational Study.Molecular syndromology · 2025Article
66 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
21 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Advancing paternal and maternal age have both been associated with risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the shape of the association remains unclear, and results on the joint associations is lacking. This study tests if advancing paternal and maternal ages are independently associated with ASD risk and estimates the functional form of the associations. In a population-based cohort study from five countries (Denmark, Israel, Norway, Sweden and Western Australia) comprising 5 766 794 children born 1985-2004 and followed up to the end of 2004-2009, the relative risk (RR) of ASD was estimated by using logistic regression and splines. Our analyses included 30 902 cases of ASD. Advancing paternal and maternal age were each associated with increased RR of ASD after adjusting for confounding and the other parent's age (mothers 40-49 years vs 20-29 years, RR=1.15 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.06-1.24), P-value<0.001; fathers⩾50 years vs 20-29 years, RR=1.66 (95% CI: 1.49-1.85), P-value<0.001). Younger maternal age was also associated with increased risk for ASD (mothers <20 years vs 20-29 years, RR=1.18 (95% CI: 1.08-1.29), P-value<0.001). There was a joint effect of maternal and paternal age with increasing risk of ASD for couples with increasing differences in parental ages. We did not find any support for a modifying effect by the sex of the offspring. In conclusion, as shown in multiple geographic regions, increases in ASD was not only limited to advancing paternal or maternal age alone but also to differences parental age including younger or older similarly aged parents as well as disparately aged parents.
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