The effect of maternal anxiety levels on the transition period to complementary feeding

Abstract

<b>Introduction: </b>The aim of this study is to determine whether the anxiety levels of mothers before and after complementary feeding (CF) initiation negatively affect the transition period of infants to CF.<br /> <b>Materials and methods: </b>The study was conducted with 150 mothers and their infants of five months of age who had not yet started CF. Beck’s depression inventory, state-trait anxiety inventory, and a questionnaire were administered to mothers. The level of statistical significance was accepted as p<0.05 in this study.<br /> <b>Results: </b>In this study, no statistically significant relationship was found between the transition period to CF and maternal anxiety levels (p>0.05). The relationship between eating snacks and inadequate weight gain was found significant (p=0.020).<br /> <b>Conclusions: </b>In our study, the anxiety levels of the mothers did not increase in the CF period. Although there was no statistically significant, the presence of anxiety in mothers requires a unique approach and support for mothers and their infants.