Department of Communication Studies, Texas Christian University.
Department of Humanities and Communication, Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.
Health Commun. 2020 May;35(6):707-715. doi: 10.1080/10410236.2019.1584739. Epub 2019 Mar 1.
While breastfeeding seems to be widely accepted in the United States, extended breastfeeding (defined as breastfeeding beyond 12 months of age) tends to be stigmatized. Healthcare professionals are assumed to play a significant role in supporting women who desire to practice extended breastfeeding; however, how healthcare professionals react to extended breastfeeding has not been well understood. This research surveyed 116 healthcare students, who majored in nursing and human medicine, and examined their perceived advantages and disadvantages, emotional responses to, and advice that they would provide to future mothers regarding extended breastfeeding. The results indicated that students responded predominantly with negative emotions and neutral responses to extended breastfeeding, with a small number of participants responding with positive emotions. Many participants believed that it would bring benefits to the child and that it would be burdensome to the mother. Participants displayed a variety of behavioral responses when asked about advice that they would provide to future mothers with whom they will interact in a clinical setting. Practical implications are discussed.
虽然母乳喂养在美国似乎被广泛接受，但延长母乳喂养（定义为母乳喂养超过 12 个月）往往会受到污名化。医疗保健专业人员被认为在支持希望进行延长母乳喂养的女性方面发挥着重要作用；然而，医疗保健专业人员对延长母乳喂养的反应尚未得到很好的理解。这项研究调查了 116 名主修护理和人类医学的医疗保健专业学生，调查了他们对延长母乳喂养的看法、情绪反应以及他们将向未来的母亲提供的建议。结果表明，学生对延长母乳喂养主要表现出消极的情绪和中立的反应，只有少数参与者表现出积极的情绪。许多参与者认为这对孩子有好处，但对母亲来说是负担。当被问及他们将在临床环境中与未来的母亲互动时会提供哪些建议时，参与者表现出了各种行为反应。讨论了实际意义。
