Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30245187›Full record

ArticleThe lancet. Psychiatry2018

Maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and risk for early-life psychopathology in offspring: genetic analyses in the Norwegian Mother and Child Birth Cohort Study.

Laurie J Hannigan, Espen Moen Eilertsen, Line C Gjerde, Ted Reichborn-Kjennerud, Thalia C Eley, Fruhling V Rijsdijk, Eivind Ystrom, Tom A McAdams

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The lancet. Psychiatry, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 52 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
52citing papers in PubMed, 7 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

52 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Pooled it
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. Pooled it
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Parental income and psychiatric disorders from age 10 to 40: a genetically informative population study.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Research Review: A review of the past decade of family and genomic studies on adolescent mental health.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2025
    Review
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Laurie J HanniganInstitute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Medical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Espen Moen EilertsenDepartment of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway.
Line C GjerdeDepartment of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Ted Reichborn-KjennerudDepartment of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Thalia C EleyMedical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Fruhling V RijsdijkMedical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.
Eivind YstromDepartment of Mental Disorders, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway; Department of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
Tom A McAdamsMedical Research Council Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK. Electronic address: tom.mcadams@kcl.ac.uk.

Funding

Gene-Environment Interactions in an Autism Birth CohortU01NS047537 · NINDS · COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY HEALTH SCIENCES · PI LIPKIN, W. IAN · 2003 to 2013
$27.0M
Norway Mother & Child Cohort Study (MoBa) Continued Specimen Collection, and Tools to Enhance Use and CollaborationN01ES75558 · NIEHS · NORWEGIAN INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC HEALTH · PI MAGNUS, PER · 2007 to 2016
$11.8M
NIEHS NIH HHS N01ES75558NINDS NIH HHS U01 NS 047537-061ANINDS NIH HHS UO1 NS 047537-01,Wellcome Trust 107706/Z/15/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMaternal prenatal depression is a known risk factor for early-life psychopathology among offspring; however, potential risk transmission mechanisms need to be distinguished. We aimed to test the relative importance of passive genetic transmission, direct exposure, and indirect exposure in the association between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and early-life internalising and externalising psychopathology in offspring.

methodsWe used structural equation modelling of phenotypic data and genetically informative relationships from the families of participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child Birth Cohort Study (MoBa). The analytic subsample of MoBa used in the current study comprises 22 195 mothers and 35 299 children. We used mothers' self-reported depressive symptoms during pregnancy, as captured by the Symptom Checklist, and their reports of symptoms of psychopathology in their offspring during the first few years of life (measured at 18, 36, and 60 months using the Child Behavior Checklist).

findingsMaternal prenatal depressive symptoms were found to be associated with early-life psychopathology primarily via intergenerationally shared genetic factors, which explained 41% (95% CI 36-46) of variance in children's internalising problems and 37% (30-44) of variance in children's externalising problems. For internalising problems, phenotypic transmission also contributed significantly, accounting for 14% (95% CI 5-19) of the association, but this contribution was found to be explained by exposure to concurrent maternal depressive symptoms, rather than by direct exposure in utero.

interpretationAssociations between maternal prenatal depressive symptoms and offspring behavioural outcomes in early childhood are likely to be at least partially explained by shared genes. This genetic confounding should be considered when attempting to quantify risks posed by in-utero exposure to maternal depressive symptoms.

fundingUK Economic and Social Research Council, Norwegian Research Council, Norwegian Ministries of Health and Care Services, and Education & Research, Wellcome Trust, Royal Society, and National Institute for Health Research.

Indexed as

Prenatal CarePsychopathologyAdultChild, PreschoolCohort StudiesDepressionFemaleHumansInfantInternal-External ControlMaleModels, StatisticalMothersNorwayPregnancyProblem Behavior

Identifiers

PMID30245187

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.