Mackenzie D M Whipps1, Elizabeth B Miller2, Debra L Bogen3, Alan L Mendelsohn4, Pamela A Morris1, Daniel Shaw5, Rachel S Gross6. 1. Department of Applied Psychology, New York University Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York, NY. 2. Institute of Human Development and Social Change, New York University, New York, NY. 3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA. 4. Divisions of General and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY. 5. Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA. 6. Department of Pediatrics, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between breastfeeding intensity and underexplored features of maternal-child interaction quality over and above the influence of breastfeeding initiation. METHODS: The current study leveraged an on-going, multisite randomized controlled trial of a tiered parenting program for 462 Medicaid-eligible mothers and their infants in the United States. We examined whether breastfeeding intensity and exclusivity was associated with observed maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and detachment, as well as self-reported maternal verbal responsiveness, 6 months infant age. Analyses controlled for breastfeeding initiation, demographics, and early parenting experiences. RESULTS: Higher intensity breastfeeding at 6 months was significantly related to higher maternal sensitivity (β = 0.12, p = 0.004) and lower maternal intrusiveness (β = -0.10, p = 0.045). There was no significant association between breastfeeding intensity at 6 months and detachment (β = -0.02, no significant [ns]) or self-reported verbal responsiveness (β = 0.11, ns). Results were the same when intensity was measured as a dichotomous indicator for exclusive breastfeeding. Effect sizes were small-to-moderate, ranging from Cohen's d = 0.26 to 0.31. Associations did not vary by site, race/ethnicity, infant difficultness, or household poverty. CONCLUSION: The finding that breastfeeding intensity was significantly and independently associated with maternal sensitivity and intrusiveness is novel in the literature on low-income families from the United States. These findings have implications for breastfeeding promotion strategies and indicate that future research should explore synergistic or spillover effects of interventions aimed at maternal-child interaction quality into the infant feeding domain, particularly in the primary care setting.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between breastfeeding intensity and underexplored features of maternal-child interaction quality over and above the influence of breastfeeding initiation. METHODS: The current study leveraged an on-going, multisite randomized controlled trial of a tiered parenting program for 462 Medicaid-eligible mothers and their infants in the United States. We examined whether breastfeeding intensity and exclusivity was associated with observed maternal sensitivity, intrusiveness, and detachment, as well as self-reported maternal verbal responsiveness, 6 months infant age. Analyses controlled for breastfeeding initiation, demographics, and early parenting experiences. RESULTS: Higher intensity breastfeeding at 6 months was significantly related to higher maternal sensitivity (β = 0.12, p = 0.004) and lower maternal intrusiveness (β = -0.10, p = 0.045). There was no significant association between breastfeeding intensity at 6 months and detachment (β = -0.02, no significant [ns]) or self-reported verbal responsiveness (β = 0.11, ns). Results were the same when intensity was measured as a dichotomous indicator for exclusive breastfeeding. Effect sizes were small-to-moderate, ranging from Cohen's d = 0.26 to 0.31. Associations did not vary by site, race/ethnicity, infant difficultness, or household poverty. CONCLUSION: The finding that breastfeeding intensity was significantly and independently associated with maternal sensitivity and intrusiveness is novel in the literature on low-income families from the United States. These findings have implications for breastfeeding promotion strategies and indicate that future research should explore synergistic or spillover effects of interventions aimed at maternal-child interaction quality into the infant feeding domain, particularly in the primary care setting.
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Authors: Katherine A Hails; Mackenzie D M Whipps; Rachel S Gross; Debra L Bogen; Pamela A Morris; Alan L Mendelsohn; Daniel S Shaw Journal: J Pediatr Psychol Date: 2021-08-11