A recent study in European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry found a higher prevalence of mental and behavioral disorders in children exposed to maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) compared to non-exposed children.

An enhanced risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was seen in offspring exposed to maternal GDM. The study assessed whether there is a wider spectrum of behavioral  and mental disorders in offspring during the initial 10 years of life, which was linked to GDM exposure.

The study was conducted in Finland and included women who delivered a singleton child. Six thousand five hundred sixty children were selected who were exposed to maternal GDM, and the control group included 51770 children. The prevalence of mental and behavioral (including neurodevelopmental) disorders, and their subcategories in the study group, was the primary outcome.

Results showed that when compared to the control group (n = 6,066, 11.7%), children in the study group (n = 1,010, 15.4%) had a higher prevalence of behavioral and mental disorders. Higher risk was observed only in boys in the adjusted analysis (aOR: 1.25). There were higher risks of behavioral disorder (aOR: 1.13) and developmental disorder (aOR: 1.14). Behavioral disorders with physiological disturbances (aOR: 1.59) had a higher risk, particularly in GDM-exposed children.