Association of Social, Paternal and Maternal Factors with Intellectual Disability : A Case Control Study

Abstract

Background: Pakistan has a high number of intellectually disabled people, who cannot learn and function at expected levels. The scarce research done here shows consanguinity, malnutrition, low socio-economic status, and maternal illiteracy to be risk factors.

Objectives: To identify risk factors for Intellectual Disability in Pakistani children and to recommend preventive measures for parents and policymakers.

Methods: This was a case-control study conducted in Lahore, Pakistan from February to May 2022. The total sample size was 378 with 126 cases and 252 controls (ratio 1:2), aged 2-19 years. Parents were interviewed and data was entered into a structured questionnaire. Data was entered in SPSS 26 and analyzed.

Results: Significant differences between cases and controls were observed for consanguinity (p=0.001), educational level (p=0.001), socioeconomic status of parents (p=0.001), and for paternal genetic and neurological factors (p=0.001). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a history of consanguinity (p=0.001) and low maternal education (p=0.001) had a significant effect on ID. Low socioeconomic status showed no significant association with ID, nor did breastfeeding. Adjusted Odds Ratio (OR) showed that the risk of developing ID increases by a factor of 7.8 and 4.1 respectively for history of consanguinity and low maternal education.

Conclusions: Consanguinity emerged as a major risk factor for intellectual disability. This should be discouraged by pre-marital counseling and health education.