The Relationship of Breastfeeding Patterns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Maternal Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Nov 17, 2020Breastfeeding medicine : the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine

How Breastfeeding in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit Relates to Mothers' Anxiety and Depression

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Abstract

A 1-unit increase in trait anxiety score in mothers is associated with a 5.7% increase in the odds of their infants being exclusively breastfed within the first week in the NICU.

Maternal anxiety and depression are common among mothers with infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Breastfeeding exclusivity is significantly related to factors such as gestational age, birth weight, prenatal steroid use, and assisted reproductive technology.
Mothers exclusively breastfeeding their infants reported higher trait anxiety scores compared to those using mixed feeding.
Clinically significant anxiety and depressive symptoms in NICU mothers do not appear to negatively impact breastfeeding exclusivity in the first week of life.

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The studies related to psychiatric disorders have demonstrated high frequency of maternal stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression in mothers who have infants in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). It is well known that maternal anxiety and depression adversely affect breastfeeding. The research aims to examine the association between the anxiety and depressive symptom severity of NICU mothers and feeding type (exclusively breastfed [EBF] or mixed fed [MF]) of their infants within first week of life in NICU.Data were collected from 93 mothers and 105 infants in a single-center, prospective, cross-sectional, descriptive study. The state-trait anxiety and depressive symptom severity of NICU mothers were evaluated using the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI, including Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-State [STAI-S], Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Trait [STAI-T]), and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).Breastfeeding exclusivity in NICU infants was significantly related to gestational age, birth weight, prenatal steroid, and assisted reproductive technology (ART; = 0.022, 0.041, 0.028, 0.017, respectively). The comparison of STAI-S, STAI-T, and EPDS scores of NICU mothers between EBF and MF groups revealed that STAI-T score was significantly high in EBF group than that in the MF group ( = 0.019). Logistic regression analyses showed that a 1-unit increase in STAI-T score in NICU mothers was significantly associated with a 5.7% increase in the odds of breastfeeding exclusivity within first week in postpartum period ( = 0.033; odds ratio = 1.057, 95% confidence interval = 1.004-1.113).Contrary to estimates, clinically significant state and trait anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms of NICU mothers do not affect breastfeeding exclusivity negatively within first week of life in NICU. Preterm infants under 32 gestational weeks and infants born with ART have a tendency to being EBF. Background: Methods: Results: Conclusions: p p p

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The Relationship of Breastfeeding Patterns in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to Maternal Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression

Abstract

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