132 - Mental Health Newborn Screening: False Positive Rates and Temperature Data Insights

Publication Number: 1122.132

Thevaa Chandereng, Children's National Health System, BROOKLYN, NY, United States; Anne Atkins, Children’s National Hospital, Madison, WI, United States; Kelly Christensen, Children's National Hospital, Gaithersburg, MD, United States; Beth A. Tarini, Co-Director, Silver Spring, MD, United States

Background: False-positive (FP) results from newborn screening (NBS) can create lasting worry for families even when follow-up testing is normal. While prior research has focused on immediate stress and anxiety, less is known about how broader contextual factors-such as seasonal temperature patterns-shape parental emotional responses in the months following screening.

Objective: To determine whether local temperature, estimated from ZIP-code-linked weather data, was associated with parental PROMIS Depression and PROMIS Anxiety scores, and to explore whether colder conditions were linked to greater depressive symptoms among parents receiving FP results compared with true-negative (Normal) controls.

Design/Methods: Parents completed single-timepoint PROMIS Short Form v1.0 Depression and Anxiety questionnaires following receipt of NBS results. Each participant's residential ZIP code was matched with daily temperature data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). For each survey, a 30-day mean temperature and temperature variability (standard deviation) were calculated around the assessment date.
Linear regression models, implemented with multiple imputation for missing covariates, examined associations between temperature metrics and PROMIS scores, controlling for parent age, education, and socioeconomic status. Analyses were repeated within the subgroup whose Depression scores were at or above the cohort median to assess sensitivity to colder conditions.

Results: Temperature was not associated with PROMIS Anxiety (β = -0.03, p = 0.67). In contrast, lower mean temperature was significantly related to higher PROMIS Depression scores (β = -0.23, p = 0.01). The association was strongest during winter months and among parents with moderate-to-high depressive symptoms, where colder weather accounted for an additional 8 % of variance after adjustment for demographic factors. Temperature variability showed a similar but nonsignificant trend. Across models, FP parents reported higher overall depression and anxiety levels compared with Normal controls.

Conclusion(s): Colder environmental conditions, particularly in winter, were linked to elevated depressive symptoms in parents following FP NBS results, whereas temperature showed no relationship with anxiety. These findings suggest that seasonal context may influence emotional recovery after screening and highlight the value of incorporating environmental data when designing follow-up and counseling strategies for affected families.

Table 1. Associations Between Temperature and PROMIS Depression and Anxiety Scores After False-Positive Newborn Screening
Linear regression models examining relationships between 30-day mean temperature and temperature variability with PROMIS Depression and Anxiety T-scores among parents receiving false-positive (FP) or normal newborn screening results. Models adjusted for parent age, education, and socioeconomic status; pooled across 20 multiply imputed datasets. Lower ambient temperature (colder weather, typically during winter months) was associated with higher PROMIS Depression scores, particularly among parents with at-median or higher depressive symptoms. No significant associations were observed for PROMIS Anxiety.