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The relationship in women between genetic liability and the risk of onset of alcohol use disorder while pregnant or rearing an infant, toddler, or preschool child

Kendler, Kenneth S ; Svikis, Dace ; Abrahamsson, Linda LU ; Sundquist, Jan LU and Sundquist, Kristina LU (2025) In Molecular Psychiatry
Abstract

While pregnancy clearly reduces the risk for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) onset, we know less about the impact on AUD risk of having young children and how these effects vary across maternal age and level of maternal AUD genetic risk. Therefore, in 1.2 million parous Swedish women born 1960-1995, we examined those with a first registration for AUD between ages 15-40 while first pregnant, or while raising their first infant (aged 0-12 months), toddler (13-36 months) or preschooler (37-60 months). Genetic risk for AUD was assessed by their family genetic risk score. Pregnancy and having an infant consistently reduced AUD risk with the protective effect becoming stronger with increasing maternal genetic risk. Raising a toddler was modestly... (More)

While pregnancy clearly reduces the risk for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) onset, we know less about the impact on AUD risk of having young children and how these effects vary across maternal age and level of maternal AUD genetic risk. Therefore, in 1.2 million parous Swedish women born 1960-1995, we examined those with a first registration for AUD between ages 15-40 while first pregnant, or while raising their first infant (aged 0-12 months), toddler (13-36 months) or preschooler (37-60 months). Genetic risk for AUD was assessed by their family genetic risk score. Pregnancy and having an infant consistently reduced AUD risk with the protective effect becoming stronger with increasing maternal genetic risk. Raising a toddler was modestly protective, but unrelated to genetic risk. Raising a preschooler, while unrelated to AUD risk in mothers with low genetic liability, in those at higher genetic liability increased AUD risk considerably. These effects varied substantially across maternal age. Being pregnant or having an infant were only marginally protective in teenage mothers. Compared to older mothers, younger mothers were considerably more sensitive to the predisposing effects on AUD risk of toddlers and preschoolers. The effects of pregnancy and rearing young children were muted at older maternal ages. We conclude that the risk for AUD mothers while pregnant or rearing small children varies substantially as a function of the age of the child, the genetic risk of the mother and the mother's age. These risk and protective factors can interact substantially with one another.

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author
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
Molecular Psychiatry
publisher
Springer Nature
external identifiers
  • pmid:41392098
ISSN
1359-4184
DOI
10.1038/s41380-025-03410-5
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
© 2025. The Author(s).
id
8abdd639-0993-4d9d-be83-b363634258bd
date added to LUP
2025-12-15 08:45:45
date last changed
2025-12-15 08:45:45
@article{8abdd639-0993-4d9d-be83-b363634258bd,
  abstract     = {{<p>While pregnancy clearly reduces the risk for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) onset, we know less about the impact on AUD risk of having young children and how these effects vary across maternal age and level of maternal AUD genetic risk. Therefore, in 1.2 million parous Swedish women born 1960-1995, we examined those with a first registration for AUD between ages 15-40 while first pregnant, or while raising their first infant (aged 0-12 months), toddler (13-36 months) or preschooler (37-60 months). Genetic risk for AUD was assessed by their family genetic risk score. Pregnancy and having an infant consistently reduced AUD risk with the protective effect becoming stronger with increasing maternal genetic risk. Raising a toddler was modestly protective, but unrelated to genetic risk. Raising a preschooler, while unrelated to AUD risk in mothers with low genetic liability, in those at higher genetic liability increased AUD risk considerably. These effects varied substantially across maternal age. Being pregnant or having an infant were only marginally protective in teenage mothers. Compared to older mothers, younger mothers were considerably more sensitive to the predisposing effects on AUD risk of toddlers and preschoolers. The effects of pregnancy and rearing young children were muted at older maternal ages. We conclude that the risk for AUD mothers while pregnant or rearing small children varies substantially as a function of the age of the child, the genetic risk of the mother and the mother's age. These risk and protective factors can interact substantially with one another.</p>}},
  author       = {{Kendler, Kenneth S and Svikis, Dace and Abrahamsson, Linda and Sundquist, Jan and Sundquist, Kristina}},
  issn         = {{1359-4184}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{12}},
  publisher    = {{Springer Nature}},
  series       = {{Molecular Psychiatry}},
  title        = {{The relationship in women between genetic liability and the risk of onset of alcohol use disorder while pregnant or rearing an infant, toddler, or preschool child}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41380-025-03410-5}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41380-025-03410-5}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}