The Relationship Between Breastfeeding Self-efficacy and LATCH Scores and Affecting Factors

Aims And Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between breastfeeding self-efficacy and LATCH scores and affecting factors in Turkish mothers.

Background: The benefits of breastfeeding for newborns and mothers are well documented. Type of birth, maternal and neonatal complications; lack of support from healthcare professionals during breastfeeding, hospital routines, time and duration of mother-newborn attachment; and insufficiency of husband and family support are the most significant factors affecting breastfeeding initiation and mothers' breastfeeding self-efficacy in early postpartum period. Therefore, it is important to determine how all these factors affect breastfeeding.

Design: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study.

Methods: The sample of the study consisted of 303 postpartum women who were recruited at the obstetrics clinic of maternity hospital in one of the three largest city of Turkey. The data were obtained using Personal Identification Form, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form and LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool to determine breastfeeding success. The mean, standard deviation, frequency, percentages, correlation analysis and Kruskal-Wallis variance analysis were used in data collection.

Results: The main finding of the study was a weak positive correlation between average LATCH scores and average Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form scores of women in the postpartum period. The women becoming pregnant four times or more got significantly higher average Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form and average LATCH scores, and the women married for 11 years or longer and the mothers starting to breastfeed their babies within 30 minutes of their birth got significantly higher average LATCH scores.

Conclusions: The results of the present research affirm the beneficial role of high self-efficacy in successful breastfeeding.

Relevance To Clinical Practice: It is of great importance that midwives and obstetric nurses routinely evaluate breastfeeding self-efficacy and the capability of breastfeeding for early detection of problems related to breastfeeding.