Depression in young adults with very low birth weight: the Helsinki study of very low-birth-weight adults.
BACKGROUND
Little is known about the mental health outcomes of very low-birth-weight (VLBW) (< 1500 g) infants in young adulthood.


OBJECTIVE
To test whether young adults aged 18 to 27 years with VLBW differ from term control subjects in depressive symptoms, current use of antidepressant medication, and the rate of depression diagnosed by a physician.


METHODS
Retrospective longitudinal study.


METHODS
Academic research.


METHODS
A total of 162 VLBW young adults (response rate, 65.1%) and 172 term control subjects (response rate, 54.8%) born between February 22, 1978, and November 8, 1985, in Helsinki, Finland.


METHODS
Antidepressant use, history of physician-diagnosed depression, Beck Depression Inventory score, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score.


RESULTS
The VLBW participants reported 20.1% (95% confidence interval [CI], -40.8% to -5.1%) lower CES-D scores than the controls (P =.02). However, this finding was confined to 110 VLBW participants who were born appropriate for gestational age (birth weight > or = -2 SDs according to Finnish birth weight charts), whose Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale scores were 29.1% (95% CI, -53.7% to -8.4%) lower than those of the controls (P =.004). Furthermore, VLBW participants born appropriate for gestational age were 4.8 (95% CI, 1.3-10.0) times less likely to report a depression diagnosis than controls (P =.02). In contrast, 52 VLBW participants born small for gestational age (birth weight < -2 SDs according to Finnish birth weight charts) reported 36.2% (95% CI, 1.1%-83.5%) higher Beck Depression Inventory scores (P =.04), were 4.0 (95% CI, 1.1-14.3) times more likely to use antidepressants (P =.03), and were 2.5 (95% CI, 1.0-6.3) times more likely to report a depression diagnosis (P =.04) compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first study (to our knowledge) to show that intrauterine growth pattern may modify associations between VLBW and depression. Intrauterine growth retardation rather than VLBW per se may pose a risk of depression in young adulthood.
Räikkönen
Katri
K
Department of Psychology, University of Helsinki, PO Box 9, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland. katri.raikkonen@helsinki.fi
Pesonen
Anu-Katriina
AK
Heinonen
Kati
K
Kajantie
Eero
E
Hovi
Petteri
P
Järvenpää
Anna-Liisa
AL
Eriksson
Johan G
JG
Andersson
Sture
S
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors
D000928:Antidepressive Agents