Breastfeeding and Offspring Hostility in Adulthood

Merjonen, Päivi; Jokela, Markus; Pulkki-Råbäck, Laura; Hintsanen, Mirka; Raitakari, Olli T.; Viikari, Jorma; Keltikangas‐Järvinen, Liisa

doi:10.1159/000324748

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Given that having a child with health problems is difficult and increases maternal distress (Beck 1996b), breastfeeding might decrease the risk of maternal depression indirectly by leading to healthier infants. Additionally, early breastfeeding has been associated with infants with easier temperaments over the long-term (Field et al 2002; Merjonen et al 2011; Worobey 1992), and infants with easier temperaments tend to have mothers who are less likely to get depressed (Beck 1996a). It is worth noting, however, that other studies have also found that infants with easier temperaments are more likely to be breastfed (Vandiver 1997) and that the association between breastfeeding and infant temperament becomes negligible after the first half of the infant's life (Neigel et al 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In line with these findings, women currently using both breast and formula infant feeding methods report less negative mood if they are randomly assigned to breastfeed their infant in the laboratory than if they are randomly assigned to formula feed their infant (Mezzacappa and Katlin 2002). Further, breastfeeding is associated with infants with easier temperaments (Jones et al 2004; Merjonen et al 2011), and fewer health problems in infants and mothers over the long-term (Ip et al 2007) both of which could have positive downstream consequences for maternal mental health (Beck 1996a). Taken together, these findings suggest that breastfeeding could be protective against maternal depression.…”

Section: Possible Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Mothersmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Does breastfeeding offer protection against maternal depressive symptomatology?

Hahn‐Holbrook

Haselton

Schetter

et al. 2013

Arch Womens Ment Health

114

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Mothers who breastfeed typically exhibit lower levels of depressive symptomatology than mothers who do not. However, very few studies have investigated the directionality of this relationship. Of the prospective studies published, all but one focus exclusively on whether maternal depression reduces rates of subsequent breastfeeding. This study again examines this relationship, but also the reverse—that breastfeeding might predict lower levels of later depression. Using multilevel modeling, we investigated the relationship between breastfeeding and self-reported depressive symptomatology in 205 women followed prenatally and at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after birth. Consistent with previous research, women with prenatal depressive symptomatology weaned their infants 2.3 months earlier, on average, than women without such symptomatology. We also found, however, that women who breastfed more frequently at 3 months postpartum showed greater subsequent declines in depressive symptomatology over time compared to women who breastfed less frequently, resulting in lower absolute levels of depressive symptoms by 24 months postpartum, controlling for important confounds. In sum, these findings are consistent with a bidirectional association between breastfeeding and depression, with prenatal depression predicting less breastfeeding soon after birth and breastfeeding predicting declines in maternal depression up to 2 years after birth. We discuss mechanisms that could potentially explain these associations and avenues for future research.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Possible Benefits Of Breastfeeding For Mothersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does breastfeeding offer protection against maternal depressive symptomatology?

Hahn‐Holbrook

Haselton

Schetter

et al. 2013

Arch Womens Ment Health

114

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…First, we found that subjects who experienced shorter breastfeeding durations were at an increased risk of neuropsychological deficits during adolescence and adulthood, whereas subject who were never breastfed incurred the additional risk of psychopathic personality [43,44] as well as research indicating a greater risk of abnormal psychological functioning during adulthood (e.g., schizophrenia) among children with minimal exposure to breastfeeding [3,50,64]. Second, our results indicate that 5HTTLPR significantly moderated the association between the absence of breastfeeding and neuropsychological deficits in adolescence and early adulthood, although the gene-environment interaction did not significantly predict psychopathic personality traits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…Despite numerous studies linking breastfeeding to neuropsychological health, a relatively small number of studies have explored the association between breastfeeding and abnormal psychological functioning during adulthood [3,50,64]. Among the limited number of studies in this area of research, the link between breastfeeding and the development of schizophrenia is the most commonly examined relationship.…”

Section: Breastfeeding Neuropsychological Deficits and Psychopathicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Given the body of research linking breastfeeding to neuropsychological deficits [43,44,69], it is reasonable to extend this line of research by exploring whether the development of psychopathic personality traits is similarly influenced by breastfeeding experiences during infancy. The hypothesized association between breastfeeding and psychopathic personality traits is also buttressed by research showing that individuals who were not breastfed during infancy are more likely to develop an aggressive, hostile temperament by adulthood [50]. In light of these findings, it is reasonable to suggest that breastfeeding experiences may be associated with the development of psychopathic personality traits during adulthood, and that such a relationship may be explained by the greater likelihood of neuropsychological deficits among individuals with less exposure to breastfeeding.…”

Section: Breastfeeding Neuropsychological Deficits and Psychopathicmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Association Between Breastfeeding Exposure and Duration, Neuropsychological Deficits, and Psychopathic Personality Traits in Offspring: The Moderating Role of 5HTTLPR

Jackson

Beaver

2015

Psychiatr Q

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A wealth of research has revealed that a shorter duration of breastfeeding during infancy can increase the risk of various maladaptive traits, including neuropsychological deficits. Despite the number of studies that have been conducted on the topic, few studies have explored whether the effects of breastfeeding on neuropsychological functioning and personality features persist into adulthood. Furthermore, very little research to date has examined whether this relationship is moderated by specific indicators of genetic risk. The current study examines the direct and interactive effects of breastfeeding experiences and the serotonin transporter polymorphism (5HTTLPR) on neuropsychological deficits and psychopathic personality traits. Using data from the National Longitudinal study of Adolescent Health, we find that no exposure to breastfeeding and a shorter duration of breastfeeding significantly increase the risk of exhibiting neuropsychological deficits during adolescence and early adulthood as well as psychopathic personality traits during adulthood. The results also reveal a number of gene × environment interactions between 5HTTLPR, breastfeeding exposure and breastfeeding duration in the prediction of neuropsychological deficits, but not in the prediction of psychopathic personality traits.

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Breastfeeding and Adult Personality

2016

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Five Factor Model (FFM) personality traits are implicated in long-term health-risk behaviors and outcomes. Less research has addressed how early-life experiences are associated with individual differences in these traits in adulthood. We examine whether having been breastfed is associated with adult personality and well-being in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. At Wave 1, caregivers reported whether the target child had been breastfed. At Wave 4, participants (N=13,113; 53% female; Mage=28.98) completed measures of psychological functioning. We tested for mean-level differences in the traits by breastfeeding status (yes/no) and by the duration of breastfeeding, controlling for basic demographic factors and early-life factors that could confound the breastfeeding-personality association (e.g., mother education). Participants who had been breastfed scored lower in neuroticism, anxiety, and hostility and higher in openness and optimism than those not breastfed. A curvilinear relation suggested that neuroticism was lowest for those breastfed for 9–12 months and highest for those either breastfed for >24 months or exclusively bottle-fed. Breastfeeding was unrelated to conscientiousness or state psychological functioning. This research suggests long-term psychological benefits to breastfeeding and indicates that early life experiences are associated with traits that are consequential for adult health.

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Breastfeeding and Offspring Hostility in Adulthood

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Does breastfeeding offer protection against maternal depressive symptomatology?

Does breastfeeding offer protection against maternal depressive symptomatology?

The Association Between Breastfeeding Exposure and Duration, Neuropsychological Deficits, and Psychopathic Personality Traits in Offspring: The Moderating Role of 5HTTLPR

Breastfeeding and Adult Personality

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