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Peer-reviewedCC BY 4.0PLOS One

The association between prenatal maternal selenium concentration and mental health in early childhood, a mother-child cohort study

  • Suman Ranjitkar1
  • Ingrid Kvestad2
  • Ram K. Chandyo3
  • Kjersti S. Bakken4
  • Manjeswori Ulak5
  • Tor A. Strand6
  • Sandra Huber7
  • Maria Averina8
  • Mari Hysing9
9 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
  2. 2Department of Pediatrics, Child Health Research Project, Kathmandu, Nepal
  3. 3Women’s Clinic, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway
  4. 4Community Medicine Department, Kathmandu Medical College, Kathmandu, Nepal
  5. 5Siddhi Memorial Hospital, Bhimsensthan, Bhaktapur, Nepal
  6. 6Center for International Health, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
  7. 7Department of Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Lillehammer, Norway
  8. 8Department of Laboratory Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
  9. 9Department of Clinical Medicine, The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
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Abstract

Background: Adequate selenium (Se) status is important for biological mechanisms involved in cognitive functioning and mental health. However, there are few studies that have examined the association between prenatal maternal Se and mental health of preschool children in low-and middle-income countries. The primary aim of this study was to measure associations between maternal plasma Se concentration during pregnancy and child mental health at four years. The secondary aim was to assess the psychometric properties of the parent reported Nepalese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P). Method: A total of 720 mother-infant dyads were included in the study from a cohort from Bhaktapur, Nepal, with prenatal maternal plasma Se concentration measured in early pregnancy. Child mental health was assessed at 4 years of age by the SDQ-P. The fit of the original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Generalized linear models were used to analyze the association between maternal plasma Se concentration (continuous, dichotomized or tertiles) and child’s SDQ-P scores using the five-factor model. Results: The mean (SD) maternal plasma Se concentration was 74.7 µg/L (± 10.2 µg/L). The original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was confirmed with some modifications (Comparative fit index (CFI)=0.967, Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.059). Children with mothers with the lowest tertile of maternal plasma Se concentration had higher Hyperactivity-Inattention scores than those in the middle tertile (adjusted β = 0.329, 95% CI 0.023 to 0.636). No associations were observed between maternal plasma Se concentration and the other SDQ-P subscale scores. Conclusion: We observed limited evidence of an association between maternal plasma Se concentration and mental health outcomes in children at 4 years of age. The observed association between maternal plasma Se concentrations and Hyperactivity-Inattention was only present when comparing the lowest to middle tertile, however no clear exposure-response pattern was observed. This isolated finding requires confirmation in further studies.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{ranjitkar2026association,
  title = {{The association between prenatal maternal selenium concentration and mental health in early childhood, a mother-child cohort study}},
  author = {Suman Ranjitkar and Ingrid Kvestad and Ram K. Chandyo and Kjersti S. Bakken and Manjeswori Ulak and Tor A. Strand and Sandra Huber and Maria Averina and Mari Hysing},
  journal = {PLOS One},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0360527},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360527},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The association between prenatal maternal selenium concentration and mental health in early childhood, a mother-child cohort study
AU  - Suman Ranjitkar
AU  - Ingrid Kvestad
AU  - Ram K. Chandyo
AU  - Kjersti S. Bakken
AU  - Manjeswori Ulak
AU  - Tor A. Strand
AU  - Sandra Huber
AU  - Maria Averina
AU  - Mari Hysing
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/09
JO  - PLOS One
DO  - 10.1371/journal.pone.0360527
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0360527
AB  - Background: Adequate selenium (Se) status is important for biological mechanisms involved in cognitive functioning and mental health. However, there are few studies that have examined the association between prenatal maternal Se and mental health of preschool children in low-and middle-income countries. The primary aim of this study was to measure associations between maternal plasma Se concentration during pregnancy and child mental health at four years. The secondary aim was to assess the psychometric properties of the parent reported Nepalese version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ-P). Method: A total of 720 mother-infant dyads were included in the study from a cohort from Bhaktapur, Nepal, with prenatal maternal plasma Se concentration measured in early pregnancy. Child mental health was assessed at 4 years of age by the SDQ-P. The fit of the original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was examined using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Generalized linear models were used to analyze the association between maternal plasma Se concentration (continuous, dichotomized or tertiles) and child’s SDQ-P scores using the five-factor model. Results: The mean (SD) maternal plasma Se concentration was 74.7 µg/L (± 10.2 µg/L). The original five-factor structure of the SDQ-P was confirmed with some modifications (Comparative fit index (CFI)=0.967, Root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.059). Children with mothers with the lowest tertile of maternal plasma Se concentration had higher Hyperactivity-Inattention scores than those in the middle tertile (adjusted β = 0.329, 95% CI 0.023 to 0.636). No associations were observed between maternal plasma Se concentration and the other SDQ-P subscale scores. Conclusion: We observed limited evidence of an association between maternal plasma Se concentration and mental health outcomes in children at 4 years of age. The observed association between maternal plasma Se concentrations and Hyperactivity-Inattention was only present when comparing the lowest to middle tertile, however no clear exposure-response pattern was observed. This isolated finding requires confirmation in further studies.
SN  - 1932-6203
ER  -