Breastfeeding, Parenting, and Infant Attachment Behaviors
Benjamin G Gibbs1,2, Renata Forste3, Emily Lybbert4
1Department of Sociology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA. benjamin_gibbs@byu.edu.
Maternal and Child Health Journal
|February 2, 2018
Summary
Extended breastfeeding, for six months or more, is linked to secure infant attachment and positive behaviors like being cooperative. However, breastfeeding does not appear to reduce temperamental dependency or clinginess in toddlers.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Maternal-Child Health
- Attachment Theory
Background:
- Secure infant attachment is crucial for social competence and future relationships.
- Breastfeeding is a parenting factor linked to child emotional development and mother-child attachment.
- Previous associations between breastfeeding and attachment may be confounded by other parenting behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the enduring link between infant attachment behaviors and breastfeeding.
- To control for a wide range of in-depth parenting measures.
- To identify specific attachment behaviors associated with breastfeeding.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (9 months to 2 years).
- Employed Ordinary Least Squares regression analysis.
- Assessed toddler-parent attachment using the Toddler Attachment Sort-45 (TAS-45), measuring infant attachment security and temperamental dependency.
Main Results:
- A significant association was found between predominantly breastfeeding for six or more months and infant attachment security.
- No evidence indicated a link between breastfeeding and temperamental dependency.
- Breastfed children scored higher on "warm and cuddly" and "cooperative" measures, and lower on "demanding/angry" measures of attachment.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding is important for establishing a caregiver as a secure base for exploration and comfort.
- Breastfeeding does not seem to reduce temperamental dependency or clinginess in children.
- Findings highlight breastfeeding's role in fostering secure attachment, distinct from reducing negative temperamental traits.
Keywords:
BreastfeedingCognitive developmentInfant security attachmentMother-infant bondTemperamental dependencyMore Related Videos
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