by Katherine Brind Amour
September 30, 2009

According to a study recently published in Pediatrics, the longer a child is breastfed, the less likely the child will suffer from maltreatment at the hands of his or her mother.

The researchers monitored over 7,200 mother-infant pairs in Australia for a 15-year period, tracking the duration of breastfeeding and any substantiated incidences of child abuse (physical or emotional) or neglect.

Approximately 4.3 percent of the children experienced documented abuse or neglect at the hands of their mothers. Sadly, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the infant or child’s mother is a perpetrator in nearly 60 percent of substantiated reports of abuse or neglect.

Even after adjusting for confounders such as sociodemographics, substance abuse during pregnancy, postpartum employment status, maternal attitudes about infant caregiving, and symptoms of anxiety or depression, the Australia-based study revealed a significant relationship between the duration of breastfeeding and the likelihood of maternal maltreatment.

In fact, non-breastfed infants were 2.6 times more likely to be abused or neglected by their mothers than were breastfed infants. In addition, the longer a baby was breastfed, the less likely the child was to suffer from maternal neglect.

The study also showed that the length of time spent breastfeeding could not be significantly associated with substantiated reports of maltreatment from people other than the mother.

Why does breastfeeding reduce the likelihood of maternal maltreatment?
Many factors contribute to the possibility that a child will suffer from abuse. Researchers have observed a connection, however, between breastfeeding and the production of oxytocin, a natural compound in the body that improves a mother’s mood and her attachment to her baby. Although oxytocin can be present in women who bottle-feed, it is higher among women who breastfeed.

The connection between oxytocin and breastfeeding is one reason the researchers give for the relationship between prolonged breastfeeding (at least four months) and lower rates of maternal abuse. Oxytocin can also act to relieve or dull a mother’s feelings of stress and anxiety, potentially reducing the likelihood of the mother to respond aggressively or negatively to difficult childrearing situations.

The increased presence of oxytocin is unlikely to be the only reason behind the protective function of breastfeeding. The researchers also suggest that the type of women who chose to breastfeed might have been less likely to abuse her children in the first place. Factors commonly connected to subsequent child abuse and neglect, such as maternal drug use, poverty, and the mother’s own abuse experiences, may make a mother less likely to breastfeed, strengthening the association between feeding method and maltreatment.

Regardless of the potential causes for the difference in maltreatment rates between breastfed and non-breastfed babies, it is clear that breastfeeding seems to have a protective effect.

Although more research is needed to explore the exact mechanisms at work behind the connection, researchers and health professionals alike see the results of this study as yet another reason to promote breastfeeding. Widespread encouragement for mothers to breastfeed may turn out to be a simple and cost-effective way to reduce the frequency of child abuse and neglect both in the United States and abroad.