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. 2016 Dec;22(14):1830-1840.
doi: 10.1177/1352458516631037. Epub 2016 Feb 22.

Peripartum depression in parents with multiple sclerosis and psychiatric disorders in children

Neda Razaz  1 , Helen Tremlett  2 , Ruth Ann Marrie  3 , K S Joseph  4
Affiliations

Peripartum depression in parents with multiple sclerosis and psychiatric disorders in children

Neda Razaz et al. Mult Scler. 2016 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Although many individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience depression, there are no studies on the frequency and effect of peripartum depression among parents with MS.

Objective: To examine the frequency of peripartum depression in individuals with MS and its potential association with children's psychiatric disorders.

Methods: We conducted a cohort study in British Columbia, Canada, using linked health databases, of parents with MS and their children, and age-matched unaffected parent-child dyads. The diagnosis of peripartum depression, MS and psychiatric disorders in children was based on information from hospital admission, physician visit and drug prescription claims.

Results: Peripartum depression was significantly more common among MS parents (n = 360) versus unaffected (n = 1207) parents (25.8% vs 18.5%, p value 0.02), especially among MS affected fathers versus unaffected fathers (25.7% vs 10.2%, p value < 0.001). The incidence of psychiatric disorders in children was 3.3 and 2.7 per 100 child-years among children with and without an MS parent, respectively. The rate of psychiatric disorders was significantly higher in children with an MS parent (vs without, hazard ratio (HR): 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.03-1.74) and among children with parents who had peripartum depression (HR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.36-2.55).

Conclusion: Parental MS is associated with a higher risk of peripartum depression and increases the risk of psychiatric disorders in children.

Keywords: Multiple sclerosis; child psychiatry; cohort studies; depression; postpartum depression.

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Conflict of interest statement

Neda Razaz is funded by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada (PhD Research Studentships). She has received travel grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the endMS Research and Training Network/Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. KS Joseph is the recipient of a Chair in maternal, foetal and infant health services research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. His work is also supported by the Child and Family Research Institute. Ruth Ann Marrie is supported by a Don Paty Career Development Award from the MS Society of Canada, and by a Manitoba Research Chair from Research Manitoba. Dr Marrie has received research support from CIHR, the MS Society of Canada, the National MS Society, Research Manitoba and the MS Scientific Research Foundation. She has conducted clinical trials for Sanofi-Aventis. Helen Tremlett is the Canada Research Chair in Neuroepidemiology and Multiple Sclerosis. She has received research support from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the UK MS Trust; and speaker honoraria and/or travel expenses to attend conferences from the Consortium of MS Centres (2013), the National MS Society (2012, 2014), Bayer Pharmaceuticals (2010), Teva Pharmaceuticals (2011), ECTRIMS (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014), UK MS Trust (2011), the Chesapeake Health Education Program, US Veterans Affairs (2012), Novartis Canada (2012), Biogen Idec (2014), American Academy of Neurology (2013, 2014, 2015). Unless otherwise stated, all speaker honoraria were either donated to an MS charity or to an unrestricted grant for use by her research group.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Schematic depiction of the cohort selection process.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Peripartum depression (%) by parental multiple sclerosis (MS) status and parental sex, British Columbia, Canada. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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