the Psychiatry Advisor take:

Young children may be at an increased risk of anxiety symptoms compared to their siblings if their mother took antidepressants while pregnant.

Researchers looked at data from more than 14,000 siblings from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort study, which followed children from early fetal stage to age 3. The mothers' mental health was assessed with questions about anxiety and depression, as well as antidepressant use and they were asked to fill out a questionnaire about their child’s behavior and emotional development.

Controlling for genetic effects and family environment, children whose mothers took antidepressants during pregnancy had higher rates of anxiety symptoms than their siblings who were not exposed to antidepressants in the womb, the researchers reported in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The antidepressant exposure was specific to anxiety only and not associated with sleep issues, attention problems, or aggression in the siblings. They also found that maternal depression was independently associated with child behavior problems.

“Taken together, these findings form a strong basis for identifying and implementing non-medical interventions to reduce antenatal depression whenever possible," lead author Ragnhild Eek Brandlistuen, PhD, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said in a statement. However, in cases of severe depression, pharmaceutical intervention may be necessary.