Date Presented 03/27/20
The current research investigated the relationship between breastfeeding (BF) duration and maternal quality of life (QOL). Mothers with higher QOL were more likely to breastfeed for a longer period. Physical health scores of young and older BF mothers were significantly lower than those in the general population. Lower scores in psychological health were associated with older BF mothers. Findings are an important step in the health promotion of mothers and infants.
Primary Author and Speaker: Tal Mazor-Karsenty
PURPOSE: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends early initiation of breastfeeding (BF) within one hour of birth and exclusive BF for the first six months of life. Exclusive BF has well known protective factors for both mother and infant. On the other hand, the challenges of BF relate to various physical, emotional and social aspects of the mother’s life. Research evidence correlates longer BF period with higher maternal quality of life (QOLl). The purpose of the current research was to investigate the relationship between BF duration and maternal QOL and the relationship between the QOL of breastfeeding mothers and QOL in the general population. Quality of life is a major occupational therapy outcome. The health promotion of mothers and their infants is an important domain of OT practice.
DESIGN AND METHODS: For this non-experimental, ex-post-facto design study participants (N=159) were recruited using convenience sampling. Inclusion criteria were healthy mothers of typically developing infants. Mean maternal age was 30 years (SD=4). Mean child age was 14.5 months (SD=2.3). Mothers with a chronic illness, non-biological mothers, and mothers of infants with any developmental disability were excluded.
Study measures were: 1. Demographic questionnaire designed specifically for this study. 2. The WHOQOL-BREF - a short form quality of life assessment in four domains: Physical health, psychological, social relationships, and environment.
Duration of BF was recorded in months and included any BF, regardless of the introduction of solid food or other milk sources. A categorical variable for BF was created, including: no BF, < 4 months, 4-6 months, 7-9 months, 10-12 months, and > 12 months. Spearmen correlation was used to explore the relationship between BF duration and maternal QOL, and a One-Sample t-test to compare the reported QOL of mothers (divided into two age groups: 20-29 and 30-39) to previously published norms from an Australian cohort
RESULTS: Based on study results, higher psychological QOL was reported by mothers who breastfed for a longer period (rs=.157, p<.05). No significant correlation was found between BF duration and other QOL domains.
Mothers in the current study reported significantly lower scores in physical health compared to the general population, for both the 20-29 age group (M=56, SD=10; t=-23.43, p≤.001) and the 30-39 age group (M=52, SD=10; t=-23.58, p≤.001). Lower scores were also reported for the 30-39 age group in psychological health (M=65, SD=10) compared to the general population (t=-6.36, p≤.001).
CONCLUSION: Mothers with higher QOL were more likely to breastfeed for a longer period. Physical health scores of young and older breastfeeding mothers were significantly lower than those in the general population. Lower scores in psychological health were associated with older breastfeeding mothers, possibly due to familial, social and environmental factors such as number of children in family and amount of support received. Given occupational therapists’ broad understanding of human occupation and as healthcare professionals working with infants and mothers and committed to their quality of life, the findings of this study are an important step in the health promotion of this population.
References
Hawthorne, G., Herrman, H., & Murphy, B. (2006). Interpreting the WHOQOL-BREF: Preliminary population norms and effect sizes. Social Indicators Research, 77(1), 37-59. DOI: 10.1007/s11205-005-5552-1
Mortazavi, F., Mousavi, S. A., Chaman, R., & Khosravi, A. (2014). Do maternal quality of life and breastfeeding difficulties influence the continuation of exclusive breastfeeding?. International Journal of Pediatrics, 25(4), 400-404. DOI:10.1155/2014/156049
