Predictors of maternal attachment among breastfeeding mothers in Jordan.

The study was cross-sectional and correlational, so it shows associations at one time point but cannot show that any factor caused stronger or weaker attachment. It included only Jordanian mothers who were breastfeeding and attending three postpartum care centres in Irbid, so it may not apply to non-breastfeeding mothers, fathers, other countries or mothers who did not attend these centres. It did not compare breastfeeding mothers with non-breastfeeding mothers, so it cannot address whether breastfeeding itself is associated with attachment compared with no breastfeeding. Attachment was measured by self-report on a questionnaire, not by observation. Some reported numbers were inconsistent, including sample counts and the signs of education and assistance coefficients between the text and Table 2, so the direction of those findings is unclear.

The authors state no funding or conflict of interest to disclose, but the article also names Jordan University of Science and Technology as the funder.

Do not conclude that breastfeeding causes stronger maternal attachment. The study only compared exclusive with mixed breastfeeding among mothers who were already breastfeeding, found no significant difference in attachment, and did not compare breastfeeding with non-breastfeeding mothers.