The importance of breastfeeding for both maternal and infant health is well established. However, it remains the case that only a small percentage of infants are breastfed after the first six months of life. Maternal negative breastfeeding attitudes are associated with a reduced likelihood of breastfeeding an infant, but they are a malleable target for practitioner interventions. By adjusting perceptions, and therefore behaviours within the population, maternal and infant health outcomes may be improved. As such, it is important to understand whether certain types of mother might feel more negatively about breastfeeding. Here. we investigated the relationships between parenting styles, personality traits, and breastfeeding attitudes. In addition, we aimed to address the interrelated nature of parenting styles by identifying ‘types’ of mother who may feel more negatively about breastfeeding.
University of Lincoln, College of Social Science Research
Abi M.B. Davis, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology and The Open University, School of Psychology and Counselling
Charlotte Coleman, The Open University, School of Psychology and Counselling and Sheffield Hallam University, Department of Psychology
Robin S.S. Kramer, University of Lincoln, School of Psychology