Table 1.
Summary of included summaries
| Study | Design, population and country | Sample size | Exposure (birth record unless stated) | Outcome measure, depression/distress, age | Result OR (95% CI) exposure: outcome | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alati et al. 2006 | Birth Cohort recruited from hospital; Australia | 3493 | 140 LBW (4%) | CES-D ⩾16 (Dep) at 21 years; 891 cases (24%) | 1.55 (1.03–2.35) | Adj OR (incl. gest) |
| <2. 5 kg v. >3.5 kg: depression | ||||||
| Batstra et al. 2006 | Birth Cohort from hospital; Netherlands | 258 | Mean weight (s.d.) =3143 g (698) | CIDI depression (Dep) at 20–25 years; 32 cases (12%) | 1.455 (0.55–3.82) | Crude estimate |
| LBW: depression. | From author | |||||
| Bellingham-Young 2003 | Cross-sectional study; UK students | 100 | 4 LBW (4%) by self-report | HADS depression caseness (Dep) at 19–62 years; 21(21%) cases | p = 0.01 for <2.5 kg v. 3.27–4.88 kg: depression | Not in meta-analysis |
| Berle et al. 2006 | Population cohort (HUNT); Norway | 7806 | 271 LBW (3%) | HADS caseness ⩾8 on anxiety or depression subscale (Dis), at 20–30 years; 1184 cases (15%) | 1.00 (0.68–1.34) | Adj OR (incl. gest |
| LBW: psychological distress | ||||||
| Cheung et al. 2002 | Birth Cohort; UK 1958 birth cohort | 9731 | Birth weight continuous measure | Malaise Inventory psychological subscale ‘high distress’ at 23 years, 33 and 42 years; 6–22% prevalence (Dis) | 0.90 (0.85–0.95) | Not in meta-analysis |
| z-score birth weight: psychological distress (OR <1 supports hypothesis) | ||||||
| Colman et al. 2007 | Birth Cohort; UK 1946 birth cohort | 3282 (at 36 years) | At age 36, 99 LBW (3% of 3282) | Short form PSE caseness at age 36 (Dis) at 36 years; 203 cases (6%) | 0.63 (0.17–1.70) | Crude estimate |
| LBW: psychological distress | From author | |||||
| Elgen et al. 2002 | Non-population-based cohort study; Norway | 261 | 130 <2000 g birth weight (50%); 131 controls >3000 g birth weight | CAS diagnosis of depression (Dep) at 11 years; 3 cases (1%) | 1.8 (0.2–21) | Adj OR (not gest) |
| Elovainio et al. 2007 | Birth Cohort; Northern Finland 1966 birth cohort | 4249 | Birth weight continuous measure | SCL-25 psychological distress score (Dis) at 31 years | NS for birth weight and psychological distress | Not in meta-analysis |
| Fan & Eaton, 2001 | Birth Cohort; Johns Hopkins Collaborative Perinatal Study and Pathways Study; USA | 1758 | LBW (15%) | GHQ-28 depression subscale score ⩾5 (Dep) at 27–33 years | 1.65 (0.58–4.67) | Adj OR (not gest) |
| LBW: depression | ||||||
| Frost et al. 1999 | Prospective cohort study without birth records; northeast USA | 386 (191 women) | LBW by maternal report (% not given) | CDI depression scale (⩾12) (Dep) at age 18; 61 cases (16%) | Women: β = 0.153, p < 0.05 | Not in meta-analysis |
| Men: n.s., estimate not given | ||||||
| LBW: depression | ||||||
| Gale & Martyn, 2004 | 1970 Birth Cohort; UK | 8292 | 465 LBW (6%) | Malaise Inventory ⩾8 (Dep) at 26 years; 1574 cases (19%) | 1.10 (0.84–1.43) | Adj OR (incl. gest) |
| <2.5 vears >3.5 kg: depression | ||||||
| Godmundsson et al. 2011 | Prospective population cohort of women, with birth records; Sweden | 715 | <3500 g (% not given) | DSMIII Lifetime Depression, 44.6% | 1.63 (1.20–2.22) <3500 g v. >3500 g: lifetime depression | Not in meta-analysis |
| Hack et al. 2004 | Cohort of VLBW babies and normal weight controls USA | 473 | 240 VLBW; weight by recall for controls | YASR above 95th centile for anxiety/depression (Dis) at 20 years; 34 cases | 0.94 (0.46–1.94) | Crude estimate |
| VLBW v. control: distress | ||||||
| Haavind et al. 2007 | Population cohort (Young-HUNT); Norway | 8519 | 803 small for gestational age (<10th centile) | HSCL-5 >2, (Dis) 581 + 228 = at 13–19 years | 0.89 (0.68–1.14) | Adj OR (incl. gest) |
| LBW: psychological distress | ||||||
| Herva et al. 2008 | Birth Cohort; Finland 1966 Birth Cohort | 8339 | 225 LBW (3%) | HSCL-25 score ⩾1.75 (Dep) at 31 years; 1206 cases (14%) | 1.03 (0.71,1.50) | Crude estimate |
| LBW: depression | ||||||
| Inskip et al. 2008 | Cross-sectional study; Southampton Women's Survey; UK | 7020 women | LBW | GHQ-12 score ⩾3 (Dis) at 20–34 years; 2497 cases (32%) | 1.13 (0.94–1.37) | Crude estimate |
| Recorded (7%) or recalled (10%) | LBW: psychological distress | From author | ||||
| Lahti et al. 2008 | Birth Cohort; hospital births 1933–34; Norway | 1369 | LBW; mean weight (s.d.): 3.4 kg (0.43) men, 3.5 kg (0.48) women | Harm Avoidance on Cloninger's psychobiological model of temperament (Dis) | β = 3.3 (0.9–5.7), p = 0.007 | Not in meta-analysis |
| LBW: distress | ||||||
| Mallen et al. 2008 | Cross-sectional study with birth records UK | 521 | 31 LBW (6%) | HADS depression score ⩾8, (Dep) at 18–25 years; 78 cases (15%) | 2.88 (1.26–6.59) | Adj OR (not gest) |
| LBW: depression | ||||||
| Patton et al. 2004 | Nested case-control study; Australia | 175 | LBW 3% (parental report) | CIDI diagnosis (Dep) at mean 16 years; 63 cases | 2.9 (0.6–14) | Crude estimate |
| LBW: depression | From author | |||||
| Preti et al. 2000 | Case–control; Cases from psychiatric inpatient units 1988–97; Italy | 82 | 6 LBW (7%) | Hospital diagnosis of anxiety disorder or depression (Dis) at 18–28 years; 41 cases | Empty cell in supplied summary data | Not in meta-analysis |
| χ2 = 1.03, df = 1, p = 0.31 | From author | |||||
| Raikonnen et al. 2007 | Cohort; sample of births in a Helsinki hospital 1934–44 Finland | 1371 | LBW; birth weight kg (s.d.): 3.5(0.5) men, 3.4 (0.4) women | BDI score ⩾10 (Dep) at average age 62 years; 256 cases (19%) | 2.29 (1.13–4.64) | Adj OR (incl. gest) |
| LBW: depression | From author | |||||
| Raikonnen et al. 2008 | Cohort of VLBW babies in neonatal ICUs and controls; Finland | 334 | 162 VLBW | CES-D ⩾16 (Dep) at 18–27 years | 0.62 (0.36–1.07) | Adj OR |
| VLBW v. control: Dep | From author | |||||
| Saigal et al. 2003 | Cohort: regional cohort of ELBW children and controls; Canada | 263 | 141 ELBW; weight by recall for controls | OCHS-R Depression subscale score self-report (Dis) at 12–16 years | NS for ELBW v. control: distress | Not in meta-analysis |
| Thompson et al. 2001 | Regional birth cohort born 1920–30; UK | 867 | 152 birth weight <3.0 kg (18%) | GMS ⩾3 or GDS ⩾5 at 68 years, (Dep); 74 cases | 1.49 (0.62–3.57) birth weight <3 kg: depression | Adj OR (not gest) |
| Vasiliadis et al. 2008 | Cohort; 2 stratified samples from a US study of pregnant women 1959–66 | 1101 | 128 LBW (11%) | DIS depression caseness (Dep) at 18–39 years; 261 cases (24%) | 0.97 (0.59–1.57) | Adj OR (not gest) |
| LBW: depression | From author | |||||
| Wiles et al. 2005 | Cohort; UK child cohort | 5572 | 143 LBW (3%) | GHQ4 ⩾1 (Dis) at 45–51 years; 1077 cases (19%) | 1.49 (1.01–2.20) | Adj OR (incl gest) |
| LBW: psychological distress |
adj, Adjusted; gest, gestation; OR, odds ratio; HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; LBW, low birth weight(<2500 g); ELBW, extremely low birth weight(<1000 g); Dep, depression; Dis, psychological distress; BDI, Beck Depression Inventory; CAS, Children Assessment Schedule; CDI, Children's Depression Inventory; CES-D, Center for Epidemiologic Studies – Depression; CIDI, Composite International Diagnostic Interview; DIS, Diagnostic Interview Schedule; GHQ, General Health Questionnaire; GDS, Geriatric Depression Scale; GMS, Geriatric Mental State B; HADS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; Kiddie-SADS-E, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children, Epidemiologic Version; OCHS-R, Ontario Child Health Study-Revised; PSE, Present State Examination; PSF, Psychiatric Symptom Frequency; SADS-LA, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Version Modified for the Study of Anxiety Disorders; SCID, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders ; SCL, Symptom Check List; YASR, Achenbach Young Adult Self-Report.