JCOGP
Journal of Controversies in Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics

As of January 2023, our "Journal of Controversies Obstetrics & Gynecology and Pediatrics" has been published under the Medihealth Academy to publish all articles, reviews and case reports on Pediatrics, especially in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology. In order to facilitate the citation of the articles, to take our place in internationally respected indexes and to reach a wider readership, we will pay attention to the fact that our article language is only English in terms of acceptance.

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Original Article
The relationship between breastfeeding status, breastfeeding self-efficacy and postpartum depression in mothers with infants aged 0-6 months
Abstract
Aims: To investigate the relationship between breastfeeding self-efficacy, breastfeeding status, and postpartum depression in mothers with infants 0-6 months old.
Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Pediatrics Departments between January and June 2023. The study population consisted of 247 mothers over eighteen who applied to the breastfeeding outpatient clinic and had babies between 0 and 6 months. We compared mothers who exclusively breastfed (study group), mothers who solely fed formula, and mothers who fed formula and breastfed (control group). The questionnaire, including sociodemographic information, the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale (BSES), and the Edinburgh Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS), was administered to the participants face-to-face.
Results: The mean age of the participants was 29.4 years. The rate of exclusively breastfeeding mothers was 65.2%. The variables that caused differences between the study and control groups were educational status (p= 0.017), breastfeeding education (p= 0.026), breastfeeding distress (p<0.001), and targeted-breastfeeding duration (p<0.001). While the BSES scores were significantly different in the two groups (p< 0.001), no relationship was found between the EPDS scores (p < 0.271). There was a negative correlation between BSES and EPDS scores (p>0.005). Educational status, income status, planned pregnancy, difficulty of delivery, birth week, time of the baby's first breastfeeding, experiencing distress during breastfeeding, and target breastfeeding duration affected EPDS (p<0.005). While a negative correlation was observed between spousal support and EPDS, the BSES score decreased significantly with the support of someone other than the spouse.
Conclusion: Educational status, income status, number of children, whether the pregnancy is planned, breastfeeding education, difficulty of delivery, gestational week, time of the baby's first breastfeeding, experiencing distress during breastfeeding, starting work after delivery, receiving help from spouse or other person, and target breastfeeding duration were detected variables for breastfeeding.

Keywords : Breastfeeding, breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, mothers, infants

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Article available in :
Volume 3, Issue 4, 2025
Page : 82-91
https://doi.org/10.51271/JCOGP-0055
Article Information
Received : 23 May 2025
Accepted : 24 Eki 2025
Published : 30 Eki 2025
Corresponding Author :

Merve Feride Tan Ceylan: Department of Family Medicine, Yozgat City Hospital Home Health Unit, Yozgat, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Tan Ceylan MF, Yalçın BM. The relationship between breastfeeding status, self-efficacy, and postpartum depression in mothers with infants aged 0-6 months. J Controv Obstetr Gynecol Ped. 2025;3(4):82-91.

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