The Relationship between Perceived Stress and Breastfeeding Pattern among Primiparous Mothers: A Cross-sectional Study in the West of Iran

Ensiyeh Jenabi; Salman Khazaei; Arshia Nazari; Erfan Ayubi; Sara Abdoli

doi:10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_389_23

The Relationship between Perceived Stress and Breastfeeding Pattern among Primiparous Mothers: A Cross-sectional Study in the West of Iran

Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2025 Mar 10;30(2):237-242. doi: 10.4103/ijnmr.ijnmr_389_23. eCollection 2025 Mar-Apr.

Authors

Ensiyeh Jenabi¹, Salman Khazaei², Arshia Nazari³, Erfan Ayubi⁴, Sara Abdoli^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Mother and Child Care Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
² Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences,Hamadan, Iran.
³ School of Medicine, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Khuzestan, Iran.
⁴ Cancer Research Center, Institute of Cancer, Avicenna Health Research Institute, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
⁵ Malayer School of Medical Science, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
⁶ Student Research Committee, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.

Abstract

Background: The breastfeeding pattern of mothers in different societies has its roots in different social and cultural issues. Recognizing the significance of this issue and the absence of similar research in the western region of Iran, this study explored the relationship between perceived stress and breastfeeding patterns among primiparous mothers.

Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 269 mothers from January to May 2023 in the city of Hamadan, Iran. The demographic and midwifery information questionnaire and the perceived stress scale (PSS) were used. Data analysis was performed using Stata software, with the significance level set at 0.05.

Results: In the present study, only 24.16% of breastfeeding mothers breastfed exclusively. The findings showed that with each unit increase in the perceived stress score, the chance of not exclusively breastfeeding increased by 54%. Moreover, with each year of increase in the mother's age, the chance of not exclusively breastfeeding decreased by 15%.

Conclusions: The results showed a negative association between stress and exclusive breastfeeding. Therefore, it is recommended that mental health promotion be incorporated into policy-making and planning for maternal and neonate healthcare to ensure the continuation of exclusive breastfeeding.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Iran; cross-sectional studies; perceived stress scale.