The Association Between Pre-Pregnancy Breast size dissatisfaction and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy: A correlational study

Abstract

This study investigates the association between dissatisfaction with breast size prior to pregnancy and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy in Türkiye. While 65.6% of women reported dissatisfaction with their current breast size, the majority (80.5%) did not believe that breast size affects breastfeeding success, and 86.5% did not associate it with milk production. The mean absolute dissatisfaction score was 2.38 (SD = 2.57), and the mean prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy score was 78.29 (SD = 14.04). No significant association was found between breast size dissatisfaction and prenatal breastfeeding self-efficacy (r = –0.021, p = 0.634), even after controlling for previous breastfeeding experience (r = –0.034, p = 0.434). These results indicate that size dissatisfaction is not a significant predictor of prenatal self-efficacy in this population. The study uniquely contributes to literature by revealing a cultural decoupling of esthetic body image from functional confidence, suggesting maternal resilience to appearance anxieties. Consequently, interventions should prioritize structural and psychosocial support over body image concerns.