Household Income, Maternal Allostatic Load During Pregnancy, and Offspring With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

ABSTRACT: Relative maternal poverty is a suggested social determinant of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in offspring; however, this association may be confounded by the maternal broader autism phenotype (BAP). The biological mechanisms underlying this association are largely understudied. We examined the association between household income during pregnancy and ASDs in offspring, adjusting for confounders including maternal BAP, and explored whether maternal chronic stress, measured by allostatic load (AL) during pregnancy, mediates this association. Data on 59,998 mother-child dyads were obtained from the Japan Environment and Children's Study, a nationwide birth cohort. Household income was categorized into tertiles (< 4 million, 4-6 million, > 6 million JPY) and offspring ASD diagnosis by age f

SUBMITTER: Terada S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12015806 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature