Breastfeeding attitudes of refugee women from Syria and influencing factors: a study based on the transition theory

Abstract

Aims:

This review was designed to systematically examine studies that determine the breastfeeding attitudes of Syrian mothers, and factors influencing their breastfeeding behavior.

Methods:

Studies published between 2010 and 2020 were examined using ‘Syria OR Syrian mother OR Syrian refugee AND breastfeeding OR breastfeeding practices OR intention OR attitudes OR exclusive breastfeeding’ as keywords on PubMed, GoogleScholar, MEDLINE, Scopus, ProQuest, National Thesis Center, Web of Science, ScienceDirect and CINAHL; and five publications meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The researchers independently used JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies and JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews and Research Syntheses, developed by Joanna Briggs Institute, to assess the methodological quality.

Results:

A total of 6546 studies were accessed as a result of the literature review. Five studies meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Women who are in this process experience a developmental and situational transition according to the framework of Meleis’ theory. Factors affecting their breastfeeding attitudes were grouped under three main and four sub-themes. It was determined that personal factors (socioeconomic factors, cultural beliefs, the significance of breastfeeding practice, preparation), factors related to the immediate environment and social factors affect these women’s attitudes toward breastfeeding.

Conclusion:

It was found that most of the Syrian women had positive attitudes toward breastfeeding; however, the breastfeeding duration was less than 6 months for most of the refugees. Furthermore, according to the results of the studies, refugee women from Syria who did not receive social support from their spouses and relatives stopped breastfeeding.