Breastfeeding and mental health in adulthood: A birth cohort study in Brazil.
Breastfeeding is negatively associate with behavioral and internalization problems, psychological stress, and depressive/anxiety symptoms. However, studies evaluating specific mental health disorders are scarce. We aimed to assess the association between breastfeeding and mental health outcomes in young adults.



In 1982, hospital deliveries in Pelotas (Southern Brazil) were identified; liveborns were examined and their mothers interviewed (n=5914). Information on breastfeeding was collected in early childhood. In 2012-13, at 30 years of age, we used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) for the diagnosis of major depression (MD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD). In addition, we used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and the Self-reported Questionnaire (SRQ-20), to evaluate depressive symptoms severity and common mental disorders (CMD), respectively. We used multivariable regression models to evaluate the association between breastfeeding and mental health outcomes.



We evaluated 3657 individuals. Prevalence of CMD, MD, GAD and SAD was 24.3%, 7.9%, 12.7% and 3.6%, respectively. In multivariable models the odds of having a more severe case of depression (BDI-II) was smaller among those breastfed for 6 or more months (OR=0.69 95%CI [0.53-0.89]). We observed a similar pattern for MD and CMD, however, confidence intervals included the reference.



We had no information on home environment characteristics during childhood. Lack of power and a small effect size could explain why we did not detect an association between breastfeeding and MD.



Breastfeeding reduced the odds of having more severe depressive symptoms.
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; Nursing Department, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil. Electronic address: chlmz@yahoo.com.
Christian
C
Loret de Mola
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil.
Bernardo Lessa
BL
Horta
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil.
Helen
H
Gonçalves
Health and Behavior Postgraduate Program, Universidade Católica de Pelotas - UCPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Luciana de Avila
Lde A
Quevedo
Health and Behavior Postgraduate Program, Universidade Católica de Pelotas - UCPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Ricardo
R
Pinheiro
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil.
Denise Petrucci
DP
Gigante
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; Health and Behavior Postgraduate Program, Universidade Católica de Pelotas - UCPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Janaína Vieira
JV
Dos Santos Motta
Postgraduate Program in Epidemiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil; Health and Behavior Postgraduate Program, Universidade Católica de Pelotas - UCPEL, Pelotas, RS, Brazil.
Fernando C
FC
Barros
D000328:Adult; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D001942:Breast Feeding / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015995:Prevalence; D065840:Protective Factors; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
Anxiety; Brazil; Breastfeeding; Cohort; Depression; Mental health