Abstract
A number of public health interventions aimed at increasing the uptake of breastfeeding are in place in the United States
and other Western countries. While the physical health and nutritional benefits of breastfeeding for the mother and child
are relatively well established, the evidence for psychological effects is less clear. This study aimed to examine whether
there is an association between breastfeeding and later conduct problems in children. It also considered the extent to which
any relationship is attributable to maternally-provided inherited characteristics that influence both likelihood of breastfeeding
and child conduct problems. A prenatal cross-fostering design with a sample of 870 families with a child aged 4–11 years was
used. Mothers were genetically related or unrelated to their child as a result of assisted reproductive technologies. The
relationship between breastfeeding and conduct problems was assessed while controlling for theorised measured confounders
by multivariate regression (e.g. maternal smoking, education, and antisocial behaviour), and for unmeasured inherited factors
by testing associations separately for related and unrelated mother-child pairs. Breastfeeding was associated with lower levels
of conduct disorder symptoms in offspring in middle childhood. Breastfeeding was associated with lower levels of conduct problems
even after controlling for observed confounders in the genetically related group, but not in the genetically unrelated group.
In contrast, maternal antisocial behaviour showed robust associations with child conduct problems after controlling for measured
and inherited confounders. These findings highlight the importance of using genetically sensitive designs in order to test
causal environmental influences.
and other Western countries. While the physical health and nutritional benefits of breastfeeding for the mother and child
are relatively well established, the evidence for psychological effects is less clear. This study aimed to examine whether
there is an association between breastfeeding and later conduct problems in children. It also considered the extent to which
any relationship is attributable to maternally-provided inherited characteristics that influence both likelihood of breastfeeding
and child conduct problems. A prenatal cross-fostering design with a sample of 870 families with a child aged 4–11 years was
used. Mothers were genetically related or unrelated to their child as a result of assisted reproductive technologies. The
relationship between breastfeeding and conduct problems was assessed while controlling for theorised measured confounders
by multivariate regression (e.g. maternal smoking, education, and antisocial behaviour), and for unmeasured inherited factors
by testing associations separately for related and unrelated mother-child pairs. Breastfeeding was associated with lower levels
of conduct disorder symptoms in offspring in middle childhood. Breastfeeding was associated with lower levels of conduct problems
even after controlling for observed confounders in the genetically related group, but not in the genetically unrelated group.
In contrast, maternal antisocial behaviour showed robust associations with child conduct problems after controlling for measured
and inherited confounders. These findings highlight the importance of using genetically sensitive designs in order to test
causal environmental influences.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Original Contribution
- Pages 1-9
- DOI 10.1007/s00787-011-0224-y
- Authors
- Katherine H. Shelton, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Stephan Collishaw, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Frances J. Rice, Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, UK
- Gordon T. Harold, College of Biological Sciences, Medicine and Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
- Anita Thapar, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Section, Department of Psychological Medicine and Neurology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
- Journal European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry
- Online ISSN 1435-165X
- Print ISSN 1018-8827