Breastfeeding Self-efficacy and its Relationship with Perceived Stress and Breastfeeding Performance in Iranian Mothers with Late Preterm Infants: A Prospective Study

Background: Late preterm infants suffer from several problems after birth, and the key factor in fighting these problems is effective breastfeeding. Objective: To determine breastfeeding self-efficacy and its relationship with perceived stress and assess breastfeeding performance in mothers with late preterm infants Methods: In this prospective study, 171 eligible nursing mothers with late preterm infants born in Alzahra Medical Center of Tabriz, Iran, were selected via convenience sampling. The Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form was employed to measure breastfeeding self-efficacy, and the 14-item Perceived Stress Scale was used to measure the perceived stress 24 hours after giving birth. When the child was 4 months old, breastfeeding performance was measured by the Standard Breastfeeding Performance Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by Pearson and Spearman's correlation tests, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The mean (standard deviation) of breastfeeding self-efficacy was 50.0 (7.8) with scores ranging from 13 to 65, and the mean (standard deviation) of perceived stress was 26.5 (8.8) with scores ranging from 0 to 56. The median (25-75 percentiles) of breastfeeding performance score equaled 2.0 (1.0 to 3.0) with scores ranging from 0 to 6. Based on multiple linear regression analysis and after adjusting the personal-social characteristics, by increasing the score of breastfeeding self-efficacy, perceived stress was significantly decreased (B=-0.1, 95 %CI=-0.3 to 0.0). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding performance (p = 0.418). Conclusion: Due to the possibility of adjusting breastfeeding self-efficacy and its role in mothers' perceived stress, developing proper strategies seems to be essential for enhancing breastfeeding self-efficacy.