The Effect of Perceived Social Support of Syrian Mothers on Their Infant Feeding Attitudes

Abstract

PurposeThis study was conducted to investigate the effect of perceived social support of mothers who were Syrian refugees in Turkey on attitudes toward feeding their babies. Design and methodThis study used a cross-sectional design and investigated the demographic characteristics, perceived social support, and infant feeding attitudes of the mothers who migrated from Syria and came to the Health Education Center for Immigrants to receive healthcare services. ResultsThe mean age of the mothers (n = 150) who participated in the study was 24.51 + 5.84 years, and the mean duration of their stay in Turkey was 4.12 ± 1.57 years. The mean number of pregnancies of the mothers was 2.62 ± 1.4, and the mean number of children was 2.33 ± 1.28. As a result of the analysis, we have determined that thesub-dimension of perceived social support from a special person significantly affects the continuation of breastfeeding of mothers during the first six months (p < 0.05). The perceived social support of mothers and other variables in the model were found to explain 14.6% of the breastfeeding attitude. Conclusions and implications for practiceThe attitudes of Syrian mothers toward feeding their babies were affected by perceived social support from a special person. It is recommended to aidsocial support systems for immigrant women to develop positive attitudes toward breastfeeding.