Postpartum depression (PPD), affecting up to 20% of new mothers, has been linked to elevated neurodevelopmental risks in children, yet clinically diagnosed PPD has been minimally studied in relation to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To address this gap, a large population-based investigation examined ASD outcomes associated with maternal and paternal PPD as well as their combined influence across 1,781,349 live births. The study found that children born to parents with PPD showed substantially elevated rates of ASD.
Maternal and paternal PPD were each associated with more than double the ASD incidence, while dual parental PPD led to the highest rates. Even after adjusting for confounders and depression history, maternal and paternal PPD continued to increase ASD risk by 53% and 71% respectively, and combined parental PPD more than doubled the odds, highlighting a strong and additive…
