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Children of consanguineous parents are three times more likely to be prescribed medications for common mood disorders than the children of nonrelated parents, according to a study published April 4.
In JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reported the results of a retrospective populationwide cohort study involving 363,960 individuals born in Northern Ireland between 1971 and 1986; 609 (0.2%) of whom were born to parents who were either first or second cousins.
The analysis showed a clear relationship between the degree of consanguinity and the likelihood of being prescribed psychotropic medications. After adjusting for known mental health risk factors, including birth weight, children of parents who were first cousins had threefold higher odds of being prescribed antidepressant or anxiolytic medicines (odds ratio, 3.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-7.31) and a twofold higher odds of receiving antipsychotics (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.51), compared with the children of nonconsanguineous parents.
“The results illustrate a clear increasing, stepwise association between level of consanguinity and mental ill health, suggesting a quasi–dose-response association, supporting a causal association between consanguineous parents and mental health of progeny,” wrote Aideen Maguire, PhD, and colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Overall, , and 8.5% received antipsychotic medications, compared with one-quarter (26%) and 2.7% of nonrelated offspring.
Children of parents who were second cousins had an elevated but not statistically significant risk of receiving psychotropic medications (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.63-2.71). None of these associations were affected by whether the births were singleton or multiple births.
“Despite the recent debate around the physical genetic risk of consanguineous parents, more research is required on the psychological effects of consanguineous parents on progeny,” the authors wrote.
The analysis also showed that participants aged 38-41 years were 15% more likely to receive antipsychotic medication, compared with those aged 26-29 years. The odds also were higher among fourth-born progeny, compared with first-born children, and in those from rural as opposed to urban areas.
Researchers also looked at whether deprivation or living in rural areas was associated with a higher likelihood of consanguineous pairings but found no such interactions. The incidence of consanguineous marriages found in the study was consistent with previous estimates in this population.
The authors suggested several possible explanations as to the association between consanguineous parents and mood disorders. The first was that psychiatric disorders are known to be heritable, suggesting that inherited genetic variants play a major role.
“As a form of assortative mating, consanguinity increases polygenic loading and thus is likely associated with a higher risk of mental disorder in progeny,” the authors wrote.
They also speculated that having consanguineous parents is associated with social stigma, particularly in Western societies where these partnerships are taboo. Offspring in these societies may experience discrimination that can affect mental health outcomes. However, they also noted that the children in the cohort might not have known about their parents’ consanguineous status.
“This study demonstrates the ability of populationwide data linkage to explore hard-to-reach populations, and we call on other countries with similar large-scale administrative data sources to use their data to explore the effects of consanguinity on offspring.”
The study was funded by the Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, with additional assistance from the Honest Broker Service. No conflicts of interest were declared.
SOURCE: Maguire A et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0133.
While Charles Darwin – himself the product of a consanguineous marriage – found no evidence of a higher prevalence of consanguineous parentage among the inmates of asylums in England, there is known to be a higher risk of recessively inherited single-gene disorders among the offspring of consanguineous couples. However, until now, it was not known whether this also included an elevated risk of psychiatric disorders.
The findings of this study should stimulate further research efforts toward a greater understanding of the genetic contribution to common complex psychiatric conditions. The increase in whole-genome sequencing could provide entire genomes to help guide genetic counseling, not only for medical but also psychiatric conditions.
The study also should raise awareness about the difficulties and challenges associated with determining consanguinity, amid the potential stigma associated with cousin marriage.
Alison Shaw, DPhil, is affiliated with the department of social anthropology at the University of Oxford (England). These comments are taken from an accompanying editorial (JAMA Psychiatry 2018. Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0513). No conflicts of interest were declared.
While Charles Darwin – himself the product of a consanguineous marriage – found no evidence of a higher prevalence of consanguineous parentage among the inmates of asylums in England, there is known to be a higher risk of recessively inherited single-gene disorders among the offspring of consanguineous couples. However, until now, it was not known whether this also included an elevated risk of psychiatric disorders.
The findings of this study should stimulate further research efforts toward a greater understanding of the genetic contribution to common complex psychiatric conditions. The increase in whole-genome sequencing could provide entire genomes to help guide genetic counseling, not only for medical but also psychiatric conditions.
The study also should raise awareness about the difficulties and challenges associated with determining consanguinity, amid the potential stigma associated with cousin marriage.
Alison Shaw, DPhil, is affiliated with the department of social anthropology at the University of Oxford (England). These comments are taken from an accompanying editorial (JAMA Psychiatry 2018. Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0513). No conflicts of interest were declared.
While Charles Darwin – himself the product of a consanguineous marriage – found no evidence of a higher prevalence of consanguineous parentage among the inmates of asylums in England, there is known to be a higher risk of recessively inherited single-gene disorders among the offspring of consanguineous couples. However, until now, it was not known whether this also included an elevated risk of psychiatric disorders.
The findings of this study should stimulate further research efforts toward a greater understanding of the genetic contribution to common complex psychiatric conditions. The increase in whole-genome sequencing could provide entire genomes to help guide genetic counseling, not only for medical but also psychiatric conditions.
The study also should raise awareness about the difficulties and challenges associated with determining consanguinity, amid the potential stigma associated with cousin marriage.
Alison Shaw, DPhil, is affiliated with the department of social anthropology at the University of Oxford (England). These comments are taken from an accompanying editorial (JAMA Psychiatry 2018. Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0513). No conflicts of interest were declared.
Children of consanguineous parents are three times more likely to be prescribed medications for common mood disorders than the children of nonrelated parents, according to a study published April 4.
In JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reported the results of a retrospective populationwide cohort study involving 363,960 individuals born in Northern Ireland between 1971 and 1986; 609 (0.2%) of whom were born to parents who were either first or second cousins.
The analysis showed a clear relationship between the degree of consanguinity and the likelihood of being prescribed psychotropic medications. After adjusting for known mental health risk factors, including birth weight, children of parents who were first cousins had threefold higher odds of being prescribed antidepressant or anxiolytic medicines (odds ratio, 3.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-7.31) and a twofold higher odds of receiving antipsychotics (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.51), compared with the children of nonconsanguineous parents.
“The results illustrate a clear increasing, stepwise association between level of consanguinity and mental ill health, suggesting a quasi–dose-response association, supporting a causal association between consanguineous parents and mental health of progeny,” wrote Aideen Maguire, PhD, and colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Overall, , and 8.5% received antipsychotic medications, compared with one-quarter (26%) and 2.7% of nonrelated offspring.
Children of parents who were second cousins had an elevated but not statistically significant risk of receiving psychotropic medications (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.63-2.71). None of these associations were affected by whether the births were singleton or multiple births.
“Despite the recent debate around the physical genetic risk of consanguineous parents, more research is required on the psychological effects of consanguineous parents on progeny,” the authors wrote.
The analysis also showed that participants aged 38-41 years were 15% more likely to receive antipsychotic medication, compared with those aged 26-29 years. The odds also were higher among fourth-born progeny, compared with first-born children, and in those from rural as opposed to urban areas.
Researchers also looked at whether deprivation or living in rural areas was associated with a higher likelihood of consanguineous pairings but found no such interactions. The incidence of consanguineous marriages found in the study was consistent with previous estimates in this population.
The authors suggested several possible explanations as to the association between consanguineous parents and mood disorders. The first was that psychiatric disorders are known to be heritable, suggesting that inherited genetic variants play a major role.
“As a form of assortative mating, consanguinity increases polygenic loading and thus is likely associated with a higher risk of mental disorder in progeny,” the authors wrote.
They also speculated that having consanguineous parents is associated with social stigma, particularly in Western societies where these partnerships are taboo. Offspring in these societies may experience discrimination that can affect mental health outcomes. However, they also noted that the children in the cohort might not have known about their parents’ consanguineous status.
“This study demonstrates the ability of populationwide data linkage to explore hard-to-reach populations, and we call on other countries with similar large-scale administrative data sources to use their data to explore the effects of consanguinity on offspring.”
The study was funded by the Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, with additional assistance from the Honest Broker Service. No conflicts of interest were declared.
SOURCE: Maguire A et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0133.
Children of consanguineous parents are three times more likely to be prescribed medications for common mood disorders than the children of nonrelated parents, according to a study published April 4.
In JAMA Psychiatry, researchers reported the results of a retrospective populationwide cohort study involving 363,960 individuals born in Northern Ireland between 1971 and 1986; 609 (0.2%) of whom were born to parents who were either first or second cousins.
The analysis showed a clear relationship between the degree of consanguinity and the likelihood of being prescribed psychotropic medications. After adjusting for known mental health risk factors, including birth weight, children of parents who were first cousins had threefold higher odds of being prescribed antidepressant or anxiolytic medicines (odds ratio, 3.01; 95% confidence interval, 1.24-7.31) and a twofold higher odds of receiving antipsychotics (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.29-3.51), compared with the children of nonconsanguineous parents.
“The results illustrate a clear increasing, stepwise association between level of consanguinity and mental ill health, suggesting a quasi–dose-response association, supporting a causal association between consanguineous parents and mental health of progeny,” wrote Aideen Maguire, PhD, and colleagues from Queen’s University Belfast (Northern Ireland).
Overall, , and 8.5% received antipsychotic medications, compared with one-quarter (26%) and 2.7% of nonrelated offspring.
Children of parents who were second cousins had an elevated but not statistically significant risk of receiving psychotropic medications (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 0.63-2.71). None of these associations were affected by whether the births were singleton or multiple births.
“Despite the recent debate around the physical genetic risk of consanguineous parents, more research is required on the psychological effects of consanguineous parents on progeny,” the authors wrote.
The analysis also showed that participants aged 38-41 years were 15% more likely to receive antipsychotic medication, compared with those aged 26-29 years. The odds also were higher among fourth-born progeny, compared with first-born children, and in those from rural as opposed to urban areas.
Researchers also looked at whether deprivation or living in rural areas was associated with a higher likelihood of consanguineous pairings but found no such interactions. The incidence of consanguineous marriages found in the study was consistent with previous estimates in this population.
The authors suggested several possible explanations as to the association between consanguineous parents and mood disorders. The first was that psychiatric disorders are known to be heritable, suggesting that inherited genetic variants play a major role.
“As a form of assortative mating, consanguinity increases polygenic loading and thus is likely associated with a higher risk of mental disorder in progeny,” the authors wrote.
They also speculated that having consanguineous parents is associated with social stigma, particularly in Western societies where these partnerships are taboo. Offspring in these societies may experience discrimination that can affect mental health outcomes. However, they also noted that the children in the cohort might not have known about their parents’ consanguineous status.
“This study demonstrates the ability of populationwide data linkage to explore hard-to-reach populations, and we call on other countries with similar large-scale administrative data sources to use their data to explore the effects of consanguinity on offspring.”
The study was funded by the Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, with additional assistance from the Honest Broker Service. No conflicts of interest were declared.
SOURCE: Maguire A et al. JAMA Psychiatry. 2018 Apr 4. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0133.
FROM JAMA PSYCHIATRY
Key clinical point: Children of consanguineous parents are at significantly greater risk of mood disorders.
Major finding: Children of first-cousin parents have a threefold greater risk of mood disorders.
Study details: A retrospective populationwide cohort study involving 363,960 individuals.
Disclosures: The study was funded by the Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, with additional assistance from the Honest Broker Service. No conflicts of interest were declared.
Source: Maguire A et al. JAMA Psychiatry. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0133.