Table 4. Breastfeeding and personality traits: Showing mean personality scores (and standard deviation) at specific time points postpartum.
| Time postpartum | Any Breastfeeding | N | Extraversion | Emotional Stability | Openness | Conscientiousness | Agreeableness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | Yes | 501 | 8·45 (2·44)** | 7·56 (2·63)** | 6·88 (2·58) | 8·51 (2·32)* | 9·12 (2·16) |
| No | 101 | 7·33 (2·49)** | 6·79 (2·40)** | 6·33 (2·56) | 8·78 (2·34)* | 8·78 (2·16) | |
| Two weeks | Yes | 320 | 8·41 (2·42)** | 7·50 (2·63)** | 6·94 (2·57) | 8·42 (2·47) | 8·75 (2·47) |
| No | 228 | 7·39 (2·50)** | 7·01 (2·56)** | 6·62 (2·59) | 8·70 (2·14) | 8·93 (2·03) | |
| Six weeks | Yes | 229 | 8·55 (2·29)* | 7·79 (2·54)** | 7·00 (2·61) | 8·74 (2·45) | 8·91 (2·23) |
| No | 373 | 7·77 (2·54)* | 7·03 (2·62)** | 6·66 (2·57) | 8·44 (2·24) | 8·79 (2·12) | |
| Twelve weeks | Yes | 169 | 8·03 (2·08) | 7·69 (2·77)* | 6·66 (2·51) | 8·68 (2·47) | 9·01 (2·15) |
| No | 433 | 8·25 (2·60) | 6·88 (2·08)* | 6·84 (2·61) | 8·56 (2·26) | 8·86 (2·16) | |
| Twenty six weeks | Yes | 155 | 8·25 (1·99) | 7·51 (2·78)* | 6·69 (2·53) | 8·77 (2·46) | 9·01 (2·18) |
| No | 447 | 8·00 (2·61) | 6·87 (1·93)* | 6·82 (2·60) | 8·54 (2·26) | 8·87 (2·15) |
Shaded areas represent significant difference in personality trait between feeding groups as per MANCOVA test. *P < 0·001; **P < 0·05.