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Journal of Human Lactation
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Article

Maternal Self-Concept and Breastfeeding

John R. Britton, MD, PhD* and Helen L. Britton, MD

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: johnrbritton{at}comcast.net.


  Abstract
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.

First published on June 5, 2008, doi:10.1177/0890334408316083

Journal of Human Lactation 2008;24:431.

A more recent version of this article appeared on November 1, 2008

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