Table 1.
Maternal and child characteristics according to child physician-diagnosed conditions.
| Characteristics | Neurotypical (n = 326) | ASD (n = 87) | ADHD (n = 269) | Other DDs (n = 314) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maternal age at birth (y) | 0.08 | ||||
| <20 | 33 (10.12) | 0 (0.0) | 26 (9.67) | 21 (8.28) | |
| 20-34 | 240 (73.62) | 71 (81.61) | 192 (71.38) | 225 (71.66) | |
| ≥35 | 53 (16.26) | 16 (18.39) | 51 (18.96) | 63 (20.06) | |
| Parity (%) | 0.81 | ||||
| 0 | 135 (41.41) | 40 (45.98) | 111 (41.26) | 126 (40.13) | |
| 1 or more | 191 (58.59) | 47 (54.02) | 158 (58.74) | 188 (59.87) | |
| Mother’s education (%) | 0.005 | ||||
| High school or less | 220 (67.48) | 44 (50.57) | 192 (71.38) | 207 (65.92) | |
| Some college or more | 106 (32.52) | 43 (49.43) | 77 (28.62) | 107 (34.08) | |
| Maternal BMI (%) | 0.15 | ||||
| <30 | 267 (81.90) | 65 (74.71) | 201 (74.72) | 241 (76.75) | |
| ≥30 | 59 (18.10) | 22 (25.29) | 68 (25.28) | 73 (23.25) | |
| Diabetes (%) | 0.03 | ||||
| No | 300 (92.02) | 71 (81.61) | 234 (86.99) | 263 (83.76) | |
| Gestational diabetes mellitus | 17 (5.21) | 11 (12.64) | 22 (8.18) | 29 (9.24) | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 9 (2.76) | 5 (5.75) | 13 (4.83) | 22 (7.01) | |
| Smoking during & 3 months prior to pregnancy (%) | 0.001 | ||||
| No | 289 (88.65) | 68 (78.16) | 207 (76.95) | 250 (79.62) | |
| Yes | 31 (9.51) | 18 (20.69) | 60 (22.30) | 62 (19.75) | |
| Missing | 6 (1.84) | 1 (1.15) | 2 (0.74) | 2 (0.64) | |
| Child | |||||
| Sex (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Male | 125 (38.34) | 68 (78.16) | 207 (76.95) | 150 (47.77) | |
| Female | 201 (61.66) | 19 (21.84) | 62 (23.05) | 164 (52.23) | |
| Race ethnicity (%) | 0.003 | ||||
| Black | 222 (68.10) | 43 (49.43) | 170 (63.20) | 198 (63.06) | |
| White | 11 (3.37) | 4 (4.60) | 23 (8.55) | 15 (4.78) | |
| Hispanic | 64 (19.63) | 29 (33.33) | 59 (21.93) | 84 (26.75) | |
| Other | 29 (8.90) | 11 (12.64) | 17 (6.32) | 17 (5.41) | |
| Gestational age (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| Term | 299 (91.72) | 62 (71.26) | 212 (78.81) | 246 (78.34) | |
| Preterm (<37 weeks) | 27 (8.28) | 25 (28.74) | 57 (21.19) | 68 (21.66) | |
| Year of birth (%) | <0.001 | ||||
| 1999-2006 | 140 (42.94) | 23 (26.44) | 151 (56.13) | 120 (38.22) | |
| 2007-2013 | 186 (57.06) | 64 (73.56) | 118 (43.87) | 194 (61.78) | |
| Tryptophan pathway metabolites | |||||
| Tryptophan, mean (SD) | −0.03 (1.02) | −0.12 (0.93) | 0.16 (0.99) | −0.07 (0.99) | 0.02 |
| 5-hydroxytryptophan, mean (SD) | −0.08 (0.92) | 0.13 (0.8) | 0.20 (0.99) | −0.07 (0.96) | <0.001 |
| Serotonin, mean (SD) | 0.02 (0.95) | 0.16 (1.08) | 0.04 (1.01) | −0.09 (1.01) | 0.13 |
| N-acetyltryptophan | −0.12 (1.02) | 0.08 (1.02) | 0.19 (1.04) | −0.06 (0.92) | 0.001 |
| 5-methoxytryptophol, mean (SD) | 0.11 (0.87) | −0.48 (1.09) | −0.14 (1.10) | 0.15 (0.93) | <0.001 |
ASD autism spectrum disorder, ADHD attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, DD developmental disabilities.
A Bonferroni correction resulted in a significance level P < 0.01.