TY - JOUR

T1 - Early weaning and hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnoses in adult life

AU - Sørensen, Holger J.

AU - Mortensen, Erik L.

AU - Reinisch, June M.

AU - Mednick, Sarnoff A.

PY - 2006/1/1

Y1 - 2006/1/1

N2 - Objective: This study attempted to determine whether lack of breast-feeding or a short duration of breast-feeding during infancy is associated with an elevated risk of hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnoses in adult life. Method: The study was a prospective longitudinal birth cohort design conducted in a sample of 6,562 men and women, all of whom were born in Copenhagen, Denmark, between October 1959 and December 1961. The sample was divided into two categories based on duration of breast-feeding, as assessed by a physician interview with mothers at a 1-year examination. Psychiatric hospitaliza-tions with alcohol-related diagnoses ac-cording to ICD-8 or ICD-10 were identified in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register in 1999. Nine potential confounders were included as covariates: gender of the cohort member, maternal age, parental social status, maternal prenatal smoking, unwanted pregnancy, maternal and paternal psychiatric hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnosis, and maternal and paternal psychiatric hospitalization with other diagnosis. Results: Alcohol-related diagnoses were more frequent in men, but the results were comparable for men and women. The adjusted predictive effect of early weaning was 1.47. Elevated relative risks were also associated with maternal smok-ing during pregnancy (1.52) and un-wanted pregnancy status (1.59). Other in-dependent predictors were male gender, maternal psychiatric hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnosis, and low parental social status. Conclusions: Independent of a number of other risk factors for alcoholism, a significant association between early weaning and elevated risk of hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnoses was observed.

AB - Objective: This study attempted to determine whether lack of breast-feeding or a short duration of breast-feeding during infancy is associated with an elevated risk of hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnoses in adult life. Method: The study was a prospective longitudinal birth cohort design conducted in a sample of 6,562 men and women, all of whom were born in Copenhagen, Denmark, between October 1959 and December 1961. The sample was divided into two categories based on duration of breast-feeding, as assessed by a physician interview with mothers at a 1-year examination. Psychiatric hospitaliza-tions with alcohol-related diagnoses ac-cording to ICD-8 or ICD-10 were identified in the Danish Psychiatric Central Register in 1999. Nine potential confounders were included as covariates: gender of the cohort member, maternal age, parental social status, maternal prenatal smoking, unwanted pregnancy, maternal and paternal psychiatric hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnosis, and maternal and paternal psychiatric hospitalization with other diagnosis. Results: Alcohol-related diagnoses were more frequent in men, but the results were comparable for men and women. The adjusted predictive effect of early weaning was 1.47. Elevated relative risks were also associated with maternal smok-ing during pregnancy (1.52) and un-wanted pregnancy status (1.59). Other in-dependent predictors were male gender, maternal psychiatric hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnosis, and low parental social status. Conclusions: Independent of a number of other risk factors for alcoholism, a significant association between early weaning and elevated risk of hospitalization with alcohol-related diagnoses was observed.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85047695312&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.704

DO - 10.1176/ajp.2006.163.4.704

M3 - Journal article

AN - SCOPUS:85047695312

VL - 163

SP - 704

EP - 709

JO - The American Journal of Psychiatry (Spanish Edition)

JF - The American Journal of Psychiatry (Spanish Edition)

SN - 1139-3475

IS - 4

ER -