Original scientific paper

PREDICTORS OF EXCLUSIVE BREASTFEEDING 6-9 WEEKS AFTER DELIVERY: A PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY Public Mental Health Perspective

Azijada Srkalović Imširagić ; Neuropsychiatric Hospital "Dr. Ivan Barbot", Popovača, Croatia
Dražen Begić ; Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, School of Medicine University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Iris Sarajlić Vuković ; Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Affective Psychiatry, Gothenburg, Sweden
Irena Rojnić Palavra ; Croatian Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia
Mirjana Orban ; Andrija Stampar Teaching Institute of Public Health, Zagreb, Croatia

Abstract

Background: There are numerous benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) on mother and child wellbeing. The objective was to
find out whether depression, posttraumatic stress disorder and personality traits at the time of delivery are associated with EBF six
to nine weeks after delivery.
Subjects and methods: The targeted population were women who delivered in Croatian largest University maternity hospital.
The scores of The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), The Big Five Inventory (BFI) and The Impact of Events Scale
(revised) – IES-R three to five days after childbirth were measured to predict self-reported EBF status six to nine weeks after the delivery.
Six to nine weeks after the delivery data on breastfeeding were collected for 259 (69.6%) out of initially 372 enrolled women.
Results: Six to nine weeks after the delivery 151/259 (58.3%) were still exclusively breastfeeding their child. After adjustment for
all other variables, women who gave their second childbirth had significantly higher odds for longer EBF than primiparous women
(OR=2.12; 95% CI 1.10-4.10). Higher EPDS result was significantly associated with lower odds for EBF (OR=0.92; 95% CI 0.85-0.99).
Conclusion: Parity and depressed mood immediately after the delivery are associated with EBF six to eight weeks after the
delivery. Depression symptoms are a moderator between parity and exclusive breastfeeding, so multiparous women without
depressive symptomatology are more prone for EBF.

Keywords

breastfeeding; depression; personality trait; posttraumatic stress disorder

Hrčak ID:

177095

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/177095

Publication date:

12.12.2016.

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