Abstract
Background and purpose: Maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy is an important psychometric factor that positively affects breastfeeding rates and identifies mothers at high risk for premature breastfeeding termination among different maternal populations. This study was performed with the aim of determining the correlation of maternal emotions and attitudes toward breastfeeding with breastfeeding self-efficacy in primiparous mothers of Urmia city in 2022.
Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 320 primiparous mothers with children under three months of age who were covered by comprehensive health centers in Urmia city in 2022. The data collection tools used were demographic and fertility characteristics questionnaires, Watson's PANAS-X standard questionnaire to measure maternal emotions, the Iowa Breastfeeding Attitude Questionnaire (IIFAS) and the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Questionnaire-Short Form (BSES-SF). To conduct the study, in each center, the list of primiparous mothers with children under three months of age was extracted through the SIB system, random sampling was performed, and the questionnaires were completed by the researcher using the interview method. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21 software, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation tests and multivariate linear regression.
Findings: the means (SD) of positive and negative affect, attitudes toward breastfeeding and breastfeeding self-efficacy were 35.49 (5.48) and 20.34 (6.45), 55.28 (6.36) and 49.50 (12.15), respectively. In the present study, according to the correlation test between negative maternal emotion and breastfeeding self-efficacy (p=0.000, r=-0.379) and attitude toward breastfeeding (p=0.000, r=-0.261), there was a negative correlation, and there was a significant correlation between positive emotion and breastfeeding self-efficacy (p=0.000, r=0.47) and between positive emotion and attitude toward breastfeeding (p=0.000, r=0.322). Additionally, there was a statistically positive and significant correlation between breastfeeding self-efficacy and attitudes toward breastfeeding (p=0.000, r=0.515). Based on the results of multivariate linear regression, positive emotion (p=0.000, B=0.549), negative emotion (p=0.000, B=-0.356) and attitude toward breastfeeding (p=0.000, B=0.675) were identified as predictors of breastfeeding self-efficacy.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it is important to pay attention to the mental health of mothers and to understand the fragile aspects of their beliefs about their ability to breastfeed to establish and maintain breastfeeding with breast milk because these aspects can be corrected.