Objectives: To determine whether there was an independent effect of breastfeeding on child and adolescent mental health.
Study design: The Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study recruited 2900 pregnant women and followed the live births for 14 years. Mental health status was assessed by the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) at 2, 6, 8, 10, and 14 years. Maternal pregnancy, postnatal, and infant factors were tested in multivariable random effects models and generalized estimating equations to examine the effects of breastfeeding duration on mental health morbidity.
Results: Breastfeeding for less than 6 months compared with 6 months or longer was an independent predictor of mental health problems through childhood and into adolescence. This relationship was supported by the random effects models (increase in total CBCL score: 1.45; 95% confidence interval 0.59, 2.30) and generalized estimating equation models (odds ratio for CBCL morbidity: 1.33; 95% confidence interval 1.09, 1.62) showing increased behavioral problems with shorter breastfeeding duration.
Conclusion: A shorter duration of breastfeeding may be a predictor of adverse mental health outcomes throughout the developmental trajectory of childhood and early adolescence.
Wendy H. Oddy PhDa, Corresponding Author Contact Information, E-mail The Corresponding Author, Garth E. Kendall PhDa, c, Jianghong Li PhDa, d, Peter Jacoby MSca, Monique Robinson BA (Hons) Psycha, Nicholas H. de Klerk PhDa, Sven R. Silburn MSce, Stephen R. Zubrick PhDe, Louis I. Landau MDb and Fiona J. Stanley MDa
a Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
b Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
c The University of Western Australia, the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
d Centre for International Health & School of Public Health, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia
e The Centre for Developmental Health, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, Australia