Pre- and Perinatal Risk Factors for Serious Mental Disorders: Ethical Considerations in Prevention and Prediction Efforts

Overview

Journal J Ethics Ment Health

Specialty Medical Ethics

Date 2022 Mar 21

PMID 35309950

Authors

Lauren M Ellman

Shannon K Murphy

Seth D Maxwell

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Repeated findings have linked pre- and perinatal risk factors to a variety of mental disorders. Some studies have found large magnitudes of association, suggesting that fetal development represents an important period for understanding neurodevelopmental sequelae. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how best to translate the existing findings into early identification, prevention, and treatment strategies that would be useful for pregnant populations and/or for their offspring. This article will discuss key ethical considerations surrounding the incorporation of findings from studies of the associations between obstetric complications and risk for mental disorders into prevention and prediction efforts.

Citing Articles

Prenatal maternal Inflammation, childhood cognition and adolescent depressive symptoms.

Pike M, Lipner E, OBrien K, Breen E, Cohn B, Cirillo P Brain Behav Immun. 2024; 119:908-918.

PMID: 38761818 PMC: 11844254. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2024.05.012.

Environmental Risk Factors and Cognitive Outcomes in Psychosis: Pre-, Perinatal, and Early Life Adversity.

Lipner E, OBrien K, Pike M, Ered A, Ellman L Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2022; 63:205-240.

PMID: 35915384 PMC: 9892366. DOI: 10.1007/7854_2022_378.

Infection and higher cortisol during pregnancy and risk for depressive symptoms in adolescent offspring.

Lipner E, Murphy S, Breen E, Cohn B, Krigbaum N, Cirillo P Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022; 141:105755.

PMID: 35429699 PMC: 9149123. DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105755.

Community Action Package in Iran's Comprehensive Mental and Social Health Services (the SERAJ Program).

Damari B, Sharifi V, Asgardoon M, Hajebi A Iran J Psychiatry. 2021; 16(1):76-86.

PMID: 34054986 PMC: 8140293. DOI: 10.18502/ijps.v16i1.5382.

From Womb to Neighborhood: A Racial Analysis of Social Determinants of Psychosis in the United States.

Anglin D, Ereshefsky S, Klaunig M, Bridgwater M, Niendam T, Ellman L Am J Psychiatry. 2021; 178(7):599-610.

PMID: 33934608 PMC: 8655820. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2020.20071091.

References

Giscombe C, Lobel M . Explaining disproportionately high rates of adverse birth outcomes among African Americans: the impact of stress, racism, and related factors in pregnancy. Psychol Bull. 2005; 131(5):662-83. PMC: 7451246. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.131.5.662. View

Murphy S, Fineberg A, Maxwell S, Alloy L, Zimmermann L, Krigbaum N . Maternal infection and stress during pregnancy and depressive symptoms in adolescent offspring. Psychiatry Res. 2017; 257:102-110. PMC: 5823248. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.07.025. View

Parboosing R, Bao Y, Shen L, Schaefer C, Brown A . Gestational influenza and bipolar disorder in adult offspring. JAMA Psychiatry. 2013; 70(7):677-85. DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.896. View

Cannon T, Rosso I, HOLLISTER J, Bearden C, Sanchez L, Hadley T . A prospective cohort study of genetic and perinatal influences in the etiology of schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2000; 26(2):351-66. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a033458. View

Rosenberg T, Garbers S, Lipkind H, Chiasson M . Maternal obesity and diabetes as risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes: differences among 4 racial/ethnic groups. Am J Public Health. 2005; 95(9):1545-51. PMC: 1449396. DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2005.065680. View

Gibson L, Alloy L, Ellman L . Trauma and the psychosis spectrum: A review of symptom specificity and explanatory mechanisms. Clin Psychol Rev. 2016; 49:92-105. PMC: 5157832. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2016.08.003. View

Buka S, Cannon T, Torrey E, Yolken R . Maternal exposure to herpes simplex virus and risk of psychosis among adult offspring. Biol Psychiatry. 2007; 63(8):809-15. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2007.09.022. View

Bresnahan M, Begg M, Brown A, Schaefer C, Sohler N, Insel B . Race and risk of schizophrenia in a US birth cohort: another example of health disparity?. Int J Epidemiol. 2007; 36(4):751-8. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dym041. View

Rice F, Harold G, Boivin J, van den Bree M, Hay D, Thapar A . The links between prenatal stress and offspring development and psychopathology: disentangling environmental and inherited influences. Psychol Med. 2009; 40(2):335-45. PMC: 2830085. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291709005911. View

10.

Lukkari S, Hakko H, Herva A, Pouta A, Riala K, Rasanen P . Exposure to obstetric complications in relation to subsequent psychiatric disorders of adolescent inpatients: specific focus on gender differences. Psychopathology. 2012; 45(5):317-26. DOI: 10.1159/000336073. View

11.

Hawker D, Boulton M . Twenty years' research on peer victimization and psychosocial maladjustment: a meta-analytic review of cross-sectional studies. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2000; 41(4):441-55. View

12.

Done D, Crow T, Johnstone E, Sacker A . Childhood antecedents of schizophrenia and affective illness: social adjustment at ages 7 and 11. BMJ. 1994; 309(6956):699-703. PMC: 2540822. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.309.6956.699. View

13.

Gibson L, Cooper S, Reeves L, Anglin D, Ellman L . The association between traumatic life events and psychological symptoms from a conservative, transdiagnostic perspective. Psychiatry Res. 2017; 252:70-74. PMC: 5955604. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2017.02.047. View

14.

Cannon M, Jones P, Murray R . Obstetric complications and schizophrenia: historical and meta-analytic review. Am J Psychiatry. 2002; 159(7):1080-92. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.159.7.1080. View

15.

Tandon R, Keshavan M, Nasrallah H . Schizophrenia, "just the facts" what we know in 2008. 2. Epidemiology and etiology. Schizophr Res. 2008; 102(1-3):1-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2008.04.011. View

16.

Ghosh A, Ghosh K . Translating evidence-based information into effective risk communication: current challenges and opportunities. J Lab Clin Med. 2005; 145(4):171-80. DOI: 10.1016/j.lab.2005.02.006. View

17.

Mancuso R, Dunkel Schetter C, Rini C, Roesch S, Hobel C . Maternal prenatal anxiety and corticotropin-releasing hormone associated with timing of delivery. Psychosom Med. 2004; 66(5):762-9. DOI: 10.1097/01.psy.0000138284.70670.d5. View

18.

Mittal V, Ellman L, Cannon T . Gene-environment interaction and covariation in schizophrenia: the role of obstetric complications. Schizophr Bull. 2008; 34(6):1083-94. PMC: 2632505. DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbn080. View

19.

Velez D, Fortunato S, Morgan N, Edwards T, Lombardi S, Williams S . Patterns of cytokine profiles differ with pregnancy outcome and ethnicity. Hum Reprod. 2008; 23(8):1902-9. PMC: 6457081. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/den170. View

20.

Hultman C, Ohman A, Cnattingius S, Wieselgren I, Lindstrom L . Prenatal and neonatal risk factors for schizophrenia. Br J Psychiatry. 1997; 170:128-33. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.170.2.128. View