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The Association of Couples’ Relationship Status and Quality With Breastfeeding Initiation
Author(s) -
GibsonDavis Christina M.,
BrooksGunn Jeanne
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
journal of marriage and family
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.578
H-Index - 159
eISSN - 1741-3737
pISSN - 0022-2445
DOI - 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2007.00435.x
Subject(s) - breastfeeding , ethnic group , demography , cohabitation , national survey of family growth , association (psychology) , psychology , race (biology) , developmental psychology , medicine , population , geography , sociology , family planning , gender studies , pediatrics , research methodology , psychotherapist , archaeology , anthropology
Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Survey ( N = 3,567), we examine the links between relationship status, relationship quality, and race and ethnicity in breastfeeding initiation. We consider four relationship types: married, cohabiting, romantically involved but not cohabiting (termed visiting), and nonromantically involved mothers. We find that even after adjusting for a wide range of sociodemographic factors, married mothers were more likely to breastfeed than unmarried mothers and that racial and ethnic differences in breastfeeding do not result from differences in marriage rates. Among unwed mothers, paternal provision of money or other assistance during pregnancy decreases the likelihood of breastfeeding. We conclude that relationship status, above and beyond demographic characteristics, is an important correlate of breastfeeding.