Table 3.
Odds ratios of offspring ASD by maternal childhood abuse, adjusted for maternal and paternal autistic traits, Nurses’ Health Study II, 2001–2009 (N = 1038, N ASD cases = 209, N ASD controls = 829)
| 0 | N controls | N cases | Odds ratio (95% confidence interval)a | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model 1 | Model 2: Further adjusted for maternal autistic traits | Model 3: Further adjusted for paternal autistic traits | Model 4: Further adjusted for parental anxiety and depression | |||
| Maternal childhood sexual, physical and emotional abuse | ||||||
| 0: None | 248 | 42 | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] |
| 1 | 206 | 46 | 1.38 (0.85, 2.22) | 1.39 (0.86, 2.24) | 1.36 (0.84, 2.21) | 1.31 (0.80, 2.15) |
| 2 | 162 | 38 | 1.39 (0.84, 2.30) | 1.35 (0.81, 2.23) | 1.22 (0.73, 2.04) | 1.18 (0.71, 2.00) |
| 3 | 139 | 38 | 1.54 (0.92, 2.56) | 1.51 (0.90, 2.53) | 1.36 (0.81, 2.30) | 1.23 (0.71, 2.09) |
| 4 | 45 | 25 | 3.47 (1.86, 6.52)*** | 3.36 (1.78, 6.33)*** | 2.90 (1.53, 5.51)** | 2.73 (1.43, 5.21)** |
| 5: Most severe | 29 | 20 | 3.63 (1.80, 7.28)*** | 3.58 (1.78, 7.24)*** | 2.97 (1.45, 6.09)** | 2.78 (1.34, 5.78)** |
| Maternal autistic traits | ||||||
| Lowest quintile | 171 | 35 | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] | |
| Second quintile | 180 | 39 | 0.98 (0.58, 1.67) | 0.79 (0.46, 1.38) | 0.75 (0.43, 1.32) | |
| Third quintile | 164 | 46 | 1.29 (0.77, 2.17) | 0.97 (0.56, 1.67) | 0.92 (0.53, 1.60) | |
| Fourth quintile | 158 | 44 | 1.23 (0.73, 2.10) | 0.91 (0.52, 1.59) | 0.87 (0.49, 1.53) | |
| Highest quintile | 156 | 45 | 1.24 (0.73, 2.10) | 0.79 (0.45, 1.41) | 0.69 (0.38, 1.23) | |
| Paternal autistic traits | ||||||
| Lowest quintile | 194 | 27 | 1.0 [Reference] | 1.0 [Reference] | ||
| Second quintile | 166 | 38 | 1.56 (0.88, 2.77) | 1.58 (0.88, 2.82) | ||
| Third quintile | 185 | 41 | 1.84 (1.03, 3.30)* | 1.79 (0.99, 3.22) | ||
| Fourth quintile | 160 | 42 | 1.92 (1.07, 3.45)* | 1.78 (0.99, 3.21) | ||
| Highest quintile | 124 | 61 | 3.20 (1.77, 5.78)*** | 2.95 (1.62, 5.38)*** | ||
| Maternal mental health | ||||||
| Depression, yes | 13 | 9 | 2.41 (0.87, 6.66) | |||
| Antidepressant use, yes | 145 | 55 | 1.20 (0.79, 1.82) | |||
| Phobic anxiety scale | 829 | 209 | 0.68 (0.36, 1.28) | |||
| Paternal mental health | ||||||
| Anxiety, yes | 26 | 8 | 0.66 (0.25, 1.72) | |||
| Depression, yes | 56 | 33 | 2.76 (1.60, 4.77)*** | |||
a
All models adjusted for maternal childhood socioeconomic status, defined as the maximum of maternal parents’ education in childhood, offspring sex and birth year and maternal age at the birth of the child. Odds ratios estimated using generalized estimating equations with a logit link and a binomial distribution
Wald Chi square
*
p < 0.05,
**
p < 0.01,
***
p < 0.001