Prevalence and Predictors of Breastfeeding After Childhood Abuse.

This was a secondary analysis. Breastfeeding was measured only by prenatal intent and infant feeding method at six weeks postpartum. The study did not capture how much breastfeeding occurred for mixed feeding. It also did not capture whether rates continued to fall after six weeks. Intent and feeding outcomes relied on self-report. This may be influenced by social desirability. Only women expecting a first infant were included. The paper notes prior infant feeding experience predicts future infant feeding. Only women with complete data at all waves and available records were analysed. The final sample was 519. The data were collected between 2005 and 2007. Current practice may differ. The study is observational. It shows associations, not proof that PTSD caused lower breastfeeding. The CMT-resilient and CMT-PTSD groups were small. They included 38 and 61 women.

The parent study was funded by NIH NR008767, with Seng as PI. The supplied text does not report author conflicts of interest.

Do not conclude that childhood maltreatment alone reduces breastfeeding. In simple comparisons, women with a history of childhood maltreatment did not differ significantly from women without that history in breastfeeding at six weeks. In the adjusted model, history of childhood maltreatment was associated with higher breastfeeding, while childhood maltreatment-related PTSD was associated with lower breastfeeding.