ReviewBundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz2018
Psychological effects of breastfeeding on children and mothers.
Review in Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 157 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of Mixed Reality Technology-Based Breastfeeding Counseling on Breastfeeding Success and Self-Efficacy of Women
Effects of Breath-Based Yoga Supported Breastfeeding Education on Anxiety, Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, and Perceived Insufficient Milk Supply in Primiparous Mothers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
157 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- From Mind to Milk: The Influence of Psychological Factors on the Composition of Human Breast Milk.Nutrients · 2025Pooled it
- Breastfeeding experiences of women with perinatal mental health problems: a systematic review and thematic synthesis.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2024Pooled it
- Association of breastfeeding with mental disorders in mother and child: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC medicine · 2023Pooled it
- Length of Maternity Leave Impact on Mental and Physical Health of Mothers and Infants, a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Maternal and child health journal · 2023Pooled it
- Breast Milk Micronutrients and Infant Neurodevelopmental Outcomes: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- Breastfeeding after Returning to Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Traditional and Innovative Safe Breastfeeding Pillows on Postpartum Maternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy, Awareness, and Comfort: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of nursing management · 2026Trial
- The Effect of Supplemental Nursing System on Sucking Success, Weight Gain Findings and Bilirubin Level in Newborns: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Maternal and child health journal · 2025Trial
- The effect of virtual reality on the breastfeeding process: a randomized controlled study.Journal of perinatology : official journal of the California Perinatal Association · 2024Trial
- Impact of an intervention for perinatal anxiety on breastfeeding: findings from the Happy Mother-Healthy Baby randomized controlled trial in Pakistan.International breastfeeding journal · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Influence of a Functional Nutrients-Enriched Infant Formula on Language Development in Healthy Children at Four Years Old.Nutrients · 2020Trial
- Decoding the Oxytocinergic and Behavioral Signatures of Milk Ejection.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Article
- From Compassion to Satisfaction: The Role of Body Appreciation in the Relation Between Flows of Compassion and Couple Satisfaction in Postpartum Women.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- The effect of exclusive breastfeeding levels for the first 6 months on the prevalence of overweight in children under 5 years of age.Journal of health, population, and nutrition · 2026Article
- Early Reward Learning and the Origins of Obesity: Food, Non-Food Reward, and Developing Self-Regulation.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Cumulative breastfeeding duration and incidence of diabetes in the multiethnic cohort study.Global perspectives on nutrition · 2026Article
- Breastfeeding in term and preterm infants with and without growth restriction: A 50-year analysis of incidence and duration.International journal of gynaecology and obstetrics: the official organ of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics · 2026Article
- Bidirectional relations between the maternal and infant gut microbiome and behavior.Pediatric research · 2026Article
- Infant Temperament, Breastfeeding, and Sleep at 6 and 14 Months.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
97 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
While the nutritional and physical health benefits of breastfeeding are well established, accumulating research demonstrates the far-reaching psychological effects of breastfeeding on children and their mothers. Here, we provide a non-exhaustive review of the empirical evidence, showing that breastfeeding impacts children's brain, cognitive, and socio-emotional development. In mothers, research is presented indicating that breastfeeding influences mood, affect, stress, and maternal care. The current review aims to provide a broad overview of existing findings on the psychological effects of breastfeeding, highlighting the important role that breastfeeding plays across several dimensions of psychological functioning. We also discuss the potential mechanisms that may underpin the observed effects, provide a constructive commentary on the limitations of the existing work, and put forth some considerations when evaluating this line of research.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.