Sarah Turner, a trainee at CHRIM, recently published a study in BMC Public Health that investigates the link between breastfeeding practices and child behavior. Her article, co-authored by her supervisor Dr. Meghan Azad, CHRIM investigators Dr. Leslie Roos and Dr. Nathan Nickel, and other CHILD study investigators, delves into the psychosocial pathways that explain the link between breastfeeding and child behaviour.
The team used data from 1,573 infants in the CHILD cohort study to study the relationships between breastfeeding, postpartum depression, parent-child relationships, and child behaviour. Multiple breastfeeding metrics (ex. expressed breastmilk feeding, exclusive breastfeeding and longer duration of breastfeeding) were related to less postpartum depression and better parent child relationships. As expected, less postpartum depression and better parent-child relationships were also linked with fewer behaviour problems. When looking at all the data together, both postpartum depression and the parent-child relationship helped to explain (mediate) the link between breastfeeding and child behaviour. Efforts to support breastfeeding in any form, including expressed breast milk feeding, supporting parental mental health, and encouraging strong parent-child relationships could all have positive effects on child behavioural development.
“Breastfeeding is more than just nutrition; it’s a source of social and emotional bonding between mother and baby. However, it’s not always easy and not all mothers who want to breastfeed are able to do so. It is essential to offer breastfeeding support so that more moms and babies are able to experience and enjoy their breastfeeding relationship. I hope that my research uncovers more of the unique benefits of breastfeeding so that multidisciplinary breastfeeding support is prioritized and funded in our health care system.”
Sarah Turner is amongst the five recipients of UM’s 2020 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship. The scholarship is designed to attract the finest doctoral students from Canada and other parts of the world. Each scholar is eligible to receive a sum of $150,000 over three years to support their research.