The relation between maternal schizophrenia and low birth weight is modified by paternal age.
OBJECTIVE
Paternal characteristics have never been considered in the relation between maternal schizophrenia and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The aim of our study was to consider different paternal ages while investigating the relation between maternal schizophrenia and low birth weight (LBW), using a nationwide population-based dataset.


METHODS
Our study used data from the 2001 to 2003 Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Dataset and birth certificate registry. A total of 543 394 singleton live births were included. We performed multivariate logistic regression analyses to explore the relation between maternal schizophrenia and the risk of LBW, taking different paternal age groups into account (aged 29 years or younger, 30 to 39 years, and 40 years and older), and after adjusting for other characteristics of infant, mother, and father as well as the difference between the parent's ages.


RESULTS
Mothers with schizophrenia had a higher percentage of LBW infants than mothers who did not (11.8%, compared with 6.8%). For infants whose mothers had schizophrenia, the adjusted odds ratios of LBW were 1.47 (95% CI 1.02 to 2.27, P < 0.05) and 2.80 (95% CI 1.42 to 5.51, P < 0.01) times greater than for infants whose mothers did not have schizophrenia, for paternal age groups of 30 to 39 years and 40 years or older, respectively. However, maternal schizophrenia was not a significant predictor of LBW for infants whose fathers were aged 29 years and younger.


CONCLUSIONS
The relation between LBW and maternal schizophrenia is modified by paternal age. More attention should be paid to the interaction of paternal characteristics and maternal psychiatric disorders in producing adverse pregnancy outcomes.
Lin
Herng-Ching
HC
Taipei Medical University, Taiwan. henry11111@tmu.edu.tw <henry11111@tmu.edu.tw>
Lee
Hsin-Chien
HC
Tang
Chao-Hsuin
CH
Chen
Yi-Hua
YH
D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010331:Paternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012042:Registries; D012306:Risk; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013624:Taiwan