by Allison Laverty Montag IBCLC
Can breastfeeding practices reduce the risk of maltreatment in childhood? Childhood maltreatment includes neglect, the failure to provide the basic needs and supervision a child needs, or injuring a child emotionally, physically or sexually.
In 2014, there were 700,000 substantiated cases of maltreatment in the U.S. and 1,580 deaths as a result. Children who are maltreated face increased risks such as failure to thrive, impaired brain development, poorer mental health outcomes, lower education levels and incarceration later in life. Children under the age of 3 years and individuals with special needs are at an increased risk for child maltreatment.
Some parenting styles, such as authoritarian, have been associated with the risk of maltreatment. In the breastfeeding community, it has been accepted that breastfeeding encourages bonding and reduces the risk of neglect, abandonment and abuse. Despite breastfeeding being recognized as a beneficial parenting practice, research on the relationship between breastfeeding and child maltreatment is minimal.
A 2017 study sought to determine whether breastfeeding practices are correlated with childhood maltreatment. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the researchers included adolescents for whom reliable information on breastfeeding was available, thereby providing a sample size of 4,159 adolescents. Over half of the subjects were never breastfed as infants.
What do you think are true according to the authors of this study regarding the association between breastfeeding and maltreatment in childhood? Choose 1 or more:
- The odds of experiencing childhood sexual abuse or neglect are significantly lower for children if breastfed 9 months or longer compared with those never having been breastfed.
- 4.6% of the sample (4, 159 individuals) had been sexually abused by a parent or caregiver.
- Results show that inadequate supervision and physical abuse are the most common forms of maltreatment. 10.4% of the sample reported one of their basic needs had not been met on at least one occasion before 6th grade.
- Breastfeeding duration did not significantly predict whether adolescents had experienced physical abuse or inadequate supervision during childhood.
See the Answer
Answers: All are correct
Breastfeeding Is Associated with Decreased Childhood Maltreatment
Kremer KP, Kremer TR
PURPOSE:
Child maltreatment has serious implications for youth outcomes, yet its associations with early parenting practices are not fully understood. This study investigated whether breastfeeding practices are correlated with childhood maltreatment.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Data were utilized from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a nationally representative and longitudinal study of adolescents. The analytic sample comprised 4,159 adolescents. The outcome variables included four subtypes of childhood maltreatment (neglect, inadequate supervision, physical abuse, and sexual abuse). The primary independent variable was breastfeeding duration. Covariates of the child, mother, and household were included in analyses. Logistic regression models were employed to predict odds of maltreatment subtypes from breastfeeding duration and covariates.
RESULTS:
Compared with adolescents never breastfed, adolescents breastfed 9 months or longer had a reduced odds of having experienced neglect (odds ratio [OR] = 0.54; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.35-0.83) and sexual abuse (OR = 0.47; 95% CI = 0.24-0.93) after controlling for covariates.
CONCLUSIONS:
Breastfeeding duration is significantly associated with decreased childhood neglect and sexual abuse. Breastfeeding practices should be explored as a consideration among clinicians when assessing maltreatment risk. Further research should examine whether a causal relationship exists between breastfeeding and decreased maltreatment.
Milk Mob Comment by Allison Laverty Montag IBCLC and Anne Eglash MD, IBCLC, FABM
If you’ve ever gazed at a mother enthralled with her breastfeeding child, you’ve witnessed what we believe are some of the protective effects of breastfeeding. This study showed that children who breastfed for 9 months sustained significantly less childhood neglect, such as not providing food or clothing, and less sexual abuse. Breastfeeding was not found to be associated with a significant decrease in inadequate supervision or physical abuse, although a trend towards less inadequate supervision and physical abuse was seen with more breastfeeding. The findings in this study replicate previous work,
although the findings do not prove that breastfeeding is causal in the decrease of abuse. Further research is needed to understand this relationship in depth.