Breastfeeding is associated with fewer parent-reported behavioral difficulties, which decrease further with longer duration of breastfeeding, according to a study published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Investigators examined data from the Millennium Cohort Study involving 11,148 children, their parents, and teachers to examine the longitudinal effect of breastfeeding on behavior in children aged 3-14. Even after adjustment for potential confounders, there was a correlation seen for breastfeeding with fewer parent-reported behavioral difficulties at all ages (breastfeeding duration: less than 2 months, 2-4 months, 4-6 months, more than 6 months: B = −0.22, −0.53, −1.07, and −1.24, respectively; B = adjusted mean difference of raw Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire at age 3, reference: never breast fed). “This study offers further evidence consistent with the idea that breastfeeding plays a crucial role in children’s socioemotional behavioral development,” the authors write. “Longer breastfeeding durations are associated with fewer behavioral problems in the short and long terms, though future research is required to illuminate the mechanisms.”
