Anxiety and Depression's Effect on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Perception and Breastfeeding Attitude of Pregnant Women

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Self-efficacyperception is one of the factors that affect breastfeeding attitude and breastfeeding success. Breastfeeding self-efficacy perception is associated with some psychological problems. Especially, the anxiety and depression women get through during pregnancy can affect postpartum breasfeeding attitude negatively. In this context, research has been conducted to determine anxiety and depression's effect on breastfeeding self-efficacy perception and breastfeeding attitude of pregnant women.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, sampleselection was notmadeto be able to reach out entire universe. The sample is consisted of 400 healthy pregnant women presented to Cumhuriyet University Health Services Research Hospital pregnancy clinic between1 January 2015 and 15 February 2015. Data were collected by using Introductory Information Form, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Antenatal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form and Breastfeeding Attitude Scale. In the evaluation process of the data, average, standard deviation, percentage and variance analysis, significance test for the difference between the two averages, Chi-square test and Pearson correlation analysis were used. Statistical significance was determined as p<0.05.

Results: Theaverage age of pregnant women is 27±5.57.23.2% of pregnant women are high school graduates, 17.8% of them are working, 65.2% of them live in the city center, 81.5% of them have a planned pregnancy, 50.0% of them are in the third trimester of pregnancy and 31.8% of them are having their first pregnancy. 98.8% of pregnant women are planning to breastfeed their babies, 76.2% of them are planning to feed their babies with only breastmilk for the first six months and 82.8% of them are planning to breastfeed their babies until they are 2 years old. 35.0% of pregnant women get information about breastfeeding, 27.8% of them reported that they received this information from a midwife. 99.2% of pregnant women think that breastfeeding is beneficial for the baby, 94.5% of them think it is beneficial for themselves, 45.8% of them stated that they intend to use pacifiers, 49.5% of them stated that they intend to use the bottle. BAI average of pregnant women is 11.15±7.86, BDI average of them is 9.18±5.90, breastfeeding self-efficacy scale average of them is 59.84±8.26 and breastfeeding attitude scale average score is 115.62±12.22.

Conclusion: It is thought that determining anxiety and depression's effect on breastfeeding self-efficacy perception and breastfeeding attitude of pregnant women will contribute to mother-infant health.