The Impact of Fathers' Mental Illness on Preterm Birth Risk
A study conducted by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Karolinska Institutet found that babies are more likely to be born prematurely when either their father or mother has had a psychiatric diagnosis. The risk of preterm birth is higher in infants whose parents have a psychiatric diagnosis, and even higher when both parents have such diagnoses. The study analyzed data on all live births to Nordic parents in Sweden between 1997 and 2016 and observed a trend towards earlier gestational age in offspring of parents with psychiatric disorders. The findings highlight the importance of considering both parents' mental health in assessing the risk of preterm birth and suggest that additional social support and prenatal care for families with a positive psychiatric history could have an impact on gestational age.