Maternal Psychological Distress and Lactation and Breastfeeding Outcomes: a Narrative Review

Nagel, Emily; Howland, Mariann A.; Stang, Jamie; Mason, Susan M.; Fields, David A.; Demerath, Ellen W.

doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2021.11.007

Cited by 57 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Maternal depression was also identified as a predictor to delayed initiation of breastfeeding. Possible explanations are that maternal psychological distress, such as depression or anxiety, may impair the release of oxytocin and delay the onset of lactogenesis, thus reducing breastfeeding outcomes [ 81 ]. Crowded spaces were also reported to negatively impact breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Lebanon [ 53 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant Feeding Practices, Nutrition, and Associated Health Factors during the First Six Months of Life among Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

et al. 2022

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The objective was to describe infant feeding practices, nutrition and related health aspects of infants under six months among Syrian refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugee mothers with infants under six months in July–October 2018 (N = 114). Additionally, eleven focus group discussions were conducted to explore supportive factors and barriers associated with early breastfeeding practices. The prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding was high (62.5%), whereas early initiation of breastfeeding was low (31%), and exclusive breastfeeding very low (24.6%). One-fifth of the infants were anemic (20.5%) and 9.6% were wasted. A significantly higher proportion of non-exclusively breastfed infants had a fever and took medicines than those who were exclusively breastfed. Supporting factors of adequate infant feeding practices comprised knowledge on maternal nutrition and exclusive breastfeeding, along with receiving support from healthcare professionals and family members. Identified barriers included preterm delivery, pre-lacteal feeding, an at-risk waist circumference and moderate to severe depression among mothers, bottle feeding, early introduction of food, maternal health reasons, breastmilk substitutes’ distribution, and misinformation offered by mothers-in-law. To address sub-optimal feeding practices documented among Syrian refugees, awareness on proper breastfeeding practices, maternal nutrition, and psychosocial support should be provided to mothers and family members alike.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infant Feeding Practices, Nutrition, and Associated Health Factors during the First Six Months of Life among Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

et al. 2022

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“…Maternal depression was also identified as a predictor to delayed initiation of breastfeeding. Possible explanations are that maternal psychological distress, such as depression or anxiety, may impair the release of oxytocin and delay the onset of lactogenesis, thus reducing breastfeeding outcomes [79]. Crowded spaces were also reported to negatively impact breastfeeding practices among Syrian refugees in Lebanon [51].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Supporting Factors and Barriers Related to Early Initiation of Breastfeeding and Exclusive Breastfeeding among Infants of Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

Abou-Rizk¹,

Jeremias²,

Nasreddine³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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The objective is to describe infant feeding practices and the nutritional status of infants under six months among Syrian refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon. A cross-sectional study was conducted among Syrian refugee mothers with children under five years (July-October 2018), mothers with infants under six months were included in the analysis (n=114). Additionally, eleven focus groups discussions were conducted to explore supportive factors and barriers associated with early breastfeeding practices. The prevalence of pre-lacteal feeding was high (62.5%), whereas early initiation of breastfeeding (EIBF) was low (31%), and exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) very low (24.6%). About one-fifth of the infants were suffering from anemia (20.5%) and 9.6% were wasted. Supporting factors of adequate infant feeding practices comprised knowledge on maternal nutrition and EBF, in addition to receiving support from healthcare professionals and family members. Identified barriers included preterm delivery, pre-lacteal feeding, an at-risk waist circumference and moderate to severe depression among mothers, bottle feeding, early introduction of food, maternal health reasons, breastmilk substitutes’ distribution, and misinformation offered by mothers-in-law. To address sub-optimal feeding practices documented among Syrian refugees in our study, existing infant and young child feeding policies and programs need to be strengthened and revised to tackle the identified gaps.

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“…From a mechanistic perspective, anxiety may interfere with milk production and ejection via elevations in cortisol, increased insulin resistance and reduced oxytocin release (Nagel et al, 2022), and can also impair a mother's sense of self-efficacy, leading to a loss of confidence in her ability to sustain breastfeeding over time (Corby et al, 2021;Melo et al, 2021). Anxiety during pregnancy has been linked to a lower likelihood of initiating breastfeeding (English et al, 2020), a shorter duration of breastfeeding (Riedstra and Aubuchon-Endsley, 2019;Stuebe et al, 2019), and an earlier introduction of formula feeds (Stuebe et al, 2019).…”

Section: Relationship Between Mental Health Variables and Breastfeedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The relationship between national cultural dimensions, maternal anxiety and depression, and national breastfeeding rates: An analysis of data from 122 countries

Rajkumar

2023

Front. Commun.

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IntroductionBreastfeeding is a natural and universal practice across countries and cultures. It is estimated that several thousand lives could be saved per year if optimal breastfeeding practices were adopted across countries. In addition, breastfeeding has numerous health, emotional and developmental benefits for both the mother and her infant. Despite widespread awareness of these benefits, rates of breastfeeding initiation and maintenance remain suboptimal, both in high- and in low- and middle-income countries. Unfavorable breastfeeding outcomes are related to several factors, including variations in cultural values and the occurrence of common mental disorders in women during pregnancy and in the postnatal period. However, the relative contributions of culture and mental health to variations in national breastfeeding rates have not been examined to date.MethodsIn the current study, recent United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) data on lifetime breastfeeding rates is analyzed in two stages, to first explore and then confirm the impact of cultural values and maternal mental health status at a cross-national level.ResultsIt was found that the estimated prevalence of both depression and anxiety disorders in women of childbearing age was negatively correlated with breastfeeding rates. Significant associations were also observed for the cultural dimensions of individualism-collectivism and masculinity-femininity. The association between anxiety disorders and breastfeeding outcomes remained significant in multivariate analysis incorporating demographic and health variables that could exert a confounding effect.DiscussionThese results suggest that both cultural values and the assessment and treatment of maternal mental illness should be components of any programme aimed at communicating the benefits of breastfeeding or at improving breastfeeding outcomes. The inclusion of these components could help promote the values of cultural sensitivity, inclusiveness and equity in breastfeeding from a global perspective.

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Maternal Psychological Distress and Lactation and Breastfeeding Outcomes: a Narrative Review

Cited by 57 publications

References 111 publications

Infant Feeding Practices, Nutrition, and Associated Health Factors during the First Six Months of Life among Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

Infant Feeding Practices, Nutrition, and Associated Health Factors during the First Six Months of Life among Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

Supporting Factors and Barriers Related to Early Initiation of Breastfeeding and Exclusive Breastfeeding among Infants of Syrian Refugees in Greater Beirut, Lebanon: A Mixed Methods Study

The relationship between national cultural dimensions, maternal anxiety and depression, and national breastfeeding rates: An analysis of data from 122 countries

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