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Influence of Parental Mental Health on Early Termination of Breast-Feeding: a Case-Control Study

Department of Psychiatry (OGF), School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Department of Pediatrics (ERJG), School of Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Community Health Service, Grupo Hospitalar Conceição, Brazil (CLCF)

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Olga Garcia Falceto, Rua João Abbott, 451/402, 90460-150 Porto Alegre, RS—Brazil (e-mail: ovidolg{at}uol.com.br)

Background: The WHO recommends exclusive breast-feeding for babies up to 6 months of age. The association between maternal mental health and breast-feeding duration is contradictory. This is a case-control study to investigate this association.

Methods: 153 families with 4-month-old babies from an urban area in southern Brazil were investigated: in 51 families, breast-feeding had being discontinued (cases); in 102, babies were being breast-fed (controls). Two researchers evaluated maternal and paternal mental health during home visits using semistructured interviews and scales.

Results: Disorders were found in 59% of case mothers versus 48% of control mothers. Depression was the most prevalent disorder affecting both mothers and fathers. We did not identify a statistically significant association between maternal mental disorder at 4 months after delivery and early termination of breast-feeding. When the mother had mental problems during the first month after delivery, however, she was twice as likely to interrupt breast-feeding. Among the mothers with mental disorders during puerperium, 76% still had the problem 4 months postpartum. An association was observed between maternal and paternal mental health.

Conclusions: Parental mental health does not seem to be associated with breast-feeding at 4 months in this culture setting where most mothers have good family and social support for breast-feeding. Maternal mental disorders during puerperium, however, may negatively affect the duration of breast-feeding.