ReviewBJPsych open2025
Maternal pre- and perinatal depression and the risk of autism spectrum disorders in offspring: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in BJPsych open, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effects of stepped care on depression outcomes in perinatal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2026Pooled it
- Birth Weight and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Across Diagnostic Categories: A Registry-Based Case-Control Study in Clinically Ascertained Samples.Child psychiatry and human development · 2026Article
- Child Autism Spectrum Disorder Following Maternal Abuse and Trauma History.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundStudies have reported conflicting findings on the association between maternal pre- and perinatal depression and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring.
aimsTo examine and consolidate the existing evidence on the association between maternal pre- and perinatal depression and the risk of ASD in children and adolescents.
methodIn this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL and PsycINFO from the database inception to 21 February 2024. A meta-analysis was performed using random-effect models, and summary effect estimates were presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was assessed with Cochran's
resultsTwelve studies involving over 1.6 million mother-offspring pairs were included in the final analysis. A random-effects meta-analysis of these studies revealed a 52% increased risk (odds ratio 1.52, 95% CI 1.13-1.90) of ASD in the offspring of mothers experiencing pre-pregnancy depression, a 48% increased risk (odds ratio 1.48, 95% CI 1.32-1.64) in those experiencing antenatal depression and a 70% increased risk (odds ratio 1.70, 95% CI 1.41-1.99) in those with postnatal depression.
conclusionsThis systematic review and meta-analysis found that offspring born to mothers with depression before, during and after birth have a higher risk of developing ASD. Our findings underscore the need for early screening and targeted intervention programmes for at-risk children.
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Registered trials
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.