Table 4.
Descriptions of how psychological factors were measured
| Psychological factors | Measures |
|---|---|
| Intentions to breastfeed | |
| Planned infant feeding method | Self‐reported infant feeding plan (e.g. breastfeeding, formula and mixed) 19, 20, 32, 33, 34, 40, 44 |
| Planned breastfeeding duration | Self‐reported in months, either as a continuous variable 18, 30, 39 or grouped into ≤6‐, 6‐ to 12‐ or >12‐month categories 19, 42 |
| Expectations and beliefs about breastfeeding | |
| General beliefs about breastfeeding | Breastfeeding importance rating 20, 31, 42 or scale score of mother's preference towards breastfeeding 18, 19 |
| Belief in breast milk's nutritional adequacy and sufficiency | Reason for noninitiation or cessation 20, 34, 35 or adequate yes/no format 39 |
| Belief about others' infant feeding preferences | Scale scores of others' opinions 19, 42 or as a reason for noninitiation and cessation 20 |
| Expected outcomes of breastfeeding for weight | Scale score of strength of belief 36 |
| Maternal confidence | |
| Confidence in ability to breastfeed | Scale score of confidence to meet planned duration 19, 40, 42 or BF in different situations 18 or Breastfeeding Self‐Efficacy Scale 23 |
| Breastfeeding in social environments | Scale score of ‘comfortableness in the presence of different groups or in different environments’ 39, 40 or reason for cessation 20 |
| Psychological well‐being | |
| Body image | Scale score of satisfaction with appearance 18, reason for noninitiation or cessation 20, Multidimensional Body‐Self Relations Questionnaire 43 or Body Uneasiness Test 45 |
| Depressive symptoms | Presence of symptoms in yes/no format 36, 37 or Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale 38 |
| Stress | Number of stressful life events 37 or Perceived Stress Scale 38 |
| Anxiety | State–Trait Anxiety Inventory 38 |
| Psychological distress | Kessler‐6 Psychological Distress Scale 40 or General Health Questionnaire 43 |
| Eating disorder symptoms | Eating Disorders Inventory‐2 46 |
| Breastfeeding knowledge | |
| Factual knowledge | True or false questions score 18 or awareness of WHO breastfeeding recommendation 20 |
| Social knowledge | Totalled number of relatives/friends who had breastfed 18, 19, 42 |
BF, breastfeed/ing; WHO, World Health Organization.