Consanguineous parentage raises risk of mood disorders, psychoses in offspring

“Despite the recent debate around the physical genetic risk of consanguineous parents, more research is required on the psychological effects of consanguineous parents on progeny,” the authors wrote.

The analysis also showed that participants aged 38-41 years were 15% more likely to receive antipsychotic medication, compared with those aged 26-29 years. The odds also were higher among fourth-born progeny, compared with first-born children, and in those from rural as opposed to urban areas.

Researchers also looked at whether deprivation or living in rural areas was associated with a higher likelihood of consanguineous pairings but found no such interactions. The incidence of consanguineous marriages found in the study was consistent with previous estimates in this population.

The authors suggested several possible explanations as to the association between consanguineous parents and mood disorders. The first was that psychiatric disorders are known to be heritable, suggesting that inherited genetic variants play a major role.