Perinatal circumstances and risk of offspring suicide. Birth cohort study.
Riordan, Daniel V;
Selvaraj, Sivasubramaniam;
Stark, Cameron;
Gilbert, Julie SE;
(2006)
Perinatal circumstances and risk of offspring suicide. Birth cohort study.
The British journal of psychiatry, 189 (6).
pp. 502-507.
ISSN 0007-1250
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.105.015974
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BACKGROUND: A higher risk of suicide has been associated with low birth weight in one study, but not yet replicated. Higher birth order has been associated with self-harm, but not with suicide. AIMS: To examine the relationship between perinatal circumstances and subsequent young adult suicide in Scotland. METHOD: Using linked data from the Scottish Morbidity Record and Scottish death records, a birth cohort of 1061830 people was followed-up for a mean of 25.1 years. Data were analysed using Cox regression. RESULTS: Higher maternal parity, younger maternal age (<25 years), non-professional parental occupations and low birth weight (<2500 g) were independently associated with higher suicide risk of offspring as young adults. There was no independent association with gestational age. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings provide support for the influence of maternal circumstance and foetal experience on subsequent mental health.