Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

SAGETRACK

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
Journal of Human Lactation
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
0890334408316083v1
24/4/431    most recent
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Britton, J. R.
Right arrow Articles by Britton, H. L.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Britton, J. R.
Right arrow Articles by Britton, H. L.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

Maternal Self-Concept and Breastfeeding

John R. Britton, MD, PhD

Department of Neonatology, Exempla St Joseph Hospital, Denver, Colorado, johnrbritton{at}comcast.net

Helen L. Britton, MD

Exempla St Joseph Hospital, Denver, Colorado

To test the hypothesis that mothers with high self-concept will be more likely to breastfeed their infants than those with lower self-concept, 2 cohorts of mothers of term newborns were assessed by different forms of the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale. In study 1, mothers exclusively breastfeeding at 1 month postpartum had significantly higher self-concept than those exclusively formula feeding. In study 2, exclusively breastfeeding mothers had higher scores for total self-concept compared with those exclusively formula feeding. Exclusively breastfeeding mothers also scored higher on several individual dimensions of self-concept, notably those reflecting self-satisfaction, behavior, moral worth, value as a family member, and physical appearance. Mothers partially breastfeeding had intermediate levels of self-concept in both studies. Even after controlling for demographic and social factors and for breastfeeding initiation in regression analyses, self-concept remained significantly associated with exclusive breastfeeding in both studies. Thus, compared with mothers who exclusively formula feed their infants, exclusively breastfeeding mothers have higher levels of self concept. J Hum Lact. 24(4):431-438.

Key Words: breastfeeding • self-concept

This version was published on November 1, 2008

Journal of Human Lactation, Vol. 24, No. 4, 431-438 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0890334408316083
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?