Evaluation of the effect of perceived social support, postpartum depression and infant feeding attitudes on breastfeeding self-efficacy in mothers with 0-12 month old babies

Evaluation of the Effect of Perceived Social Support, Postpartum Depression and Infant Feeding Attitudes on Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy in Mothers with 0-12 Month Old Babies This study was conducted in a descriptive and correlational design to evaluate the impact of perceived social support, postpartum depression, and infant feeding attitudes on breastfeeding self-efficacy among mothers with 0-12 month old babies. The study was conducted between 15 December 2023 and 15 March 2024 in three family health centers affiliated with the Ankara Provincial Health Directorate Community Health Unit. 200 mothers were included in the study. "Individual Information Form", "Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF)", "Infant Nutrition Attitude Scale (IIFAS)", "Edinburg Postpartum Depression Scale (EPDS)" and "Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scale (MSPSS)" were used to collect the data. "Student t test", "One Way ANOVA" and "Welch ANOVA" tests were used in the analysis of the data. "Pearson correlation analysis" and "Structural equation model" were used to examine the relationship and effect between BSES-SF and other scales and some variables. In our study, the mean total score of the mothers on the BSES-SF was 60.93±6.78, their IIFAS total mean score was 65.65±5.72, their MSPSS total mean score was 65.55±17.18, and their EPDS total mean score was 8.28±5.02. There is a weak negative relationship between the mothers' BSES-SF total score average and EPDS total score average (r=-0.186, p<0.05). There is a weak positive relationship between the mothers' BSES-SF total mean score and the MSPSS total score mean and the number of living children (r=0.170, r=0.157, p<0.05, respectively). In structural equation modeling, if the education level is high and breastfeeding difficulties are present, the BSES-SF score decreases (p<0.001), while as the IIFAS and MSPSS scores increased, the BSES-SF score increased (p<0.01). As a result of the study, it was determined that the factors affecting breastfeeding self-efficacy were multifaceted. Nurses should take into account individual, obstetric and socio-cultural characteristics that may affect breastfeeding self-efficacy in breastfeeding counseling. Key Words: Breastfeeding self-efficacy, infant feeding attitude, nursing, postpartum depression, social support.