The quality of mother-infant interactions is crucial for child development. Studies show that breastfeeding contributes to maternal sensitivity and the development of a positive mother-infant bond. Maternal mental health difficulties negatively impact both maternal sensitivity and breastfeeding. Thus, it is unclear whether breastfeeding contributes to the quality of mother-infant interactions independent from mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the contribution of exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum to the quality of the mother-infant relationship at 6 months postpartum, controlling for maternal mental health in a community sample of mothers in Chile. Eighty women completed self-report measures of mental health and breastfeeding during the third trimester of pregnancy and 3 and 6 months postpartum. At 6 months after childbirth, the mother-infant interaction was assessed by coding a free-play session between mothers and infants. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the contribution of breastfeeding practices and mental health to the quality of mother-infant interactions. Exclusive breastfeeding at 3 months postpartum increased the likelihood of displaying positive mother-infant interactions controlling for maternal mental health. Mothers who continued to breastfeed at 6 months postpartum reported less symptoms of antenatal depression and anxiety and higher levels of sensitivity and cooperation towards their infants. Breastfeeding contributes to maternal sensitivity and cooperation even when controlling for maternal mental health. Implications for health practitioners and limitations due to the sample characteristics are discussed.

中文翻译：

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母婴互动、母乳喂养和围产期心理健康的质量

母婴互动的质量对于儿童的发展至关重要。研究表明，母乳喂养有助于提高母亲的敏感性和建立积极的母婴关系。产妇心理健康困难会对产妇敏感性和母乳喂养产生负面影响。因此，尚不清楚母乳喂养是否有助于独立于心理健康的母婴互动质量。本研究的目的是检查产后 3 个月纯母乳喂养对产后 6 个月母婴关系质量的贡献，并控制智利社区母亲样本中的产妇心理健康状况。 80 名女性在妊娠晚期以及产后 3 个月和 6 个月期间完成了心理健康和母乳喂养的自我报告测量。分娩后 6 个月，通过编写母亲和婴儿之间的自由游戏会话来评估母婴互动。使用逻辑回归分析来检查母乳喂养实践和心理健康对母婴互动质量的贡献。产后 3 个月纯母乳喂养增加了母婴积极互动的可能性，从而控制了母亲的心理健康。产后 6 个月继续母乳喂养的母亲报告产前抑郁和焦虑症状较少，对婴儿的敏感性和合作程度更高。即使在控制产妇心理健康的情况下，母乳喂养也有助于提高产妇的敏感性和合作性。讨论了对健康从业者的影响以及样本特征造成的限制。