Fathers’ Breastfeeding Confidence Linked to Stronger Infant Bonds Through Mood

Fathers who feel more confident about breastfeeding their babies tend to report stronger bonds with their infants, and a new study suggests that part of this connection runs through their mental health. The research, published in Current Psychology, examined how paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and father-infant attachment relate to one another in a group of Turkish fathers. The study was cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational in design.

It included 217 married fathers with infants aged 0 to 12 months who attended a hospital in the Black Sea Region of Türkiye. Data were gathered through face-to-face interviews using a personal information form along with three Turkish-language instruments: the Paternal Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, and the Paternal-Infant Attachment Scale. One of the most striking findings was the prevalence of depressive symptoms among the fathers.

To analyze the relationships among the variables, the researchers used descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, the Mann–Whitney U test, and linear regression. They then carried out a cross-sectional statistical mediation analysis using Hayes' PROCESS macro Model 4 with 5,000 bootstrap samples to estimate the indirect association between breastfeeding self-efficacy and attachment. According to the standardized regression coefficients, breastfeeding self-efficacy was a significant positive predictor of father-infant attachment, with a coefficient of β = 0.366.

Postpartum depression, measured with the Edinburgh scale, was a significant negative predictor, with β = −0.300. In other words, fathers with higher confidence in breastfeeding reported stronger attachment, while fathers with more depressive symptoms reported weaker attachment. The mediation analysis added a further layer.

A significant indirect association between paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy and father-infant attachment through postpartum depression was observed, with an unstandardized estimate of B = 0.027 and a 95 percent confidence interval of 0.001 to 0.057. This indirect pathway accounted for 10.27 percent of the total effect, indicating that fathers' confidence in breastfeeding was associated with better attachment partly because it was linked to lower levels of depressive symptoms. The authors emphasize that the findings indicate significant associations among fathers' breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and father-infant attachment.

Because the data were collected at a single point in time, the analysis cannot establish causal direction; it is possible, for example, that stronger attachment also influences confidence or mood, and longitudinal work would be needed to disentangle these pathways. The study's scope also carries limitations worth noting. The sample consisted of married fathers of infants under one year old recruited from a single hospital in one region of Türkiye, so the results may not generalize to fathers in other settings or family structures.

Despite these constraints, the researchers suggest that the findings may support considering fathers alongside mothers in postpartum mental health screening and supportive care. If paternal depression risk is as common as the 23 percent figure implies, fathers' mental health may deserve closer attention in the postpartum period. The authors call for longitudinal and intervention studies to further examine these associations and their potential clinical implications, moving the field from cross-sectional associations toward evidence about cause and effect.

Subject of Research: Associations among paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and father-infant attachment

Article Title: Paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and father-infant attachment: a cross-sectional mediation analysis

Article References: Boyraz Yanık, H. G., Gümüşay, M., Erbil, N., Karaca, H., & Şen, B. N. (2026). Paternal breastfeeding self-efficacy, postpartum depression, and father-infant attachment: a cross-sectional mediation analysis. Current Psychology, 45(21), Article 1652. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-026-10205-6

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s12144-026-10205-6

Keywords: paternal mental health, postpartum depression, breastfeeding self-efficacy, father-infant attachment, mediation analysis, cross-sectional study, Türkiye, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, parenting, infant development, Paternal, breastfeeding