The effect of training administered to working mothers on maternal anxiety levels and breastfeeding habits

Aim and objective. This study was conducted to determine the effect of training administered to working mothers and its duration on maternal anxiety levels and breastfeeding habits. Background. Within the scope of Health for All in the 21st Century project, a goal was set to increase the rate of infants fed exclusively by breastfeeding during the first six months of life to 80% by the year 2015. Design. A randomised design with repeated measures. Methods. During collection of pretest data, a Personal Information Form, a Questionnaire Form and a State Trait Anxiety Inventory were administered to the mothers in the experimental and control groups. Five home visits were conducted starting two weeks before the date when mothers returned to work and ending when the infants became six months old. Breastfeeding techniques were taught to these mothers. Data were subjected to Proc MEAN, FREQ, anova and GENMOD procedures. Results. The rate of natural feeding (breastfeeding exclusively) among trained mothers was greater than untrained mothers. The frequency of breastfeeding affects maternal anxiety levels; the anxiety level of mothers decreased with increasing frequency of breastfeeding. Conclusion. Educating working mothers about breastfeeding reduces their anxiety levels and influences positively their breastfeeding habits. Relevance to clinical practice. With the support of health-care staff to increase awareness and knowledge on the value and sufficiency of breast milk, the rate and period of natural feeding increased significantly among working mothers.