Women are more likely to breastfeed if they are extroverted and less anxious compared to women who are introverted and more anxious, a new study has found.

The health benefits of breastfeeding are well established. Children who are breastfed are less likely to develop certain conditions such as asthma and eczema, while mothers are less likely to develop certain types of cancer.

Understanding what makes women start and maintain breastfeeding is important if breastfeeding rates are to increase. However, while certain factors, such as the mother's age and education have been studied, the role of personality has largely been ignored.

A Welsh researcher decided to investigate this further. Dr Amy Brown of Swansea University surveyed over 600 mothers with babies aged between six and 12 months. The women were asked about their experiences and attitudes to breastfeeding and their personalities were also assessed.

The study found that those with extroverted personalities, and those who were considered more emotionally stable, were much more likely to begin and maintain breastfeeding for a longer time.

Mothers with introverted personalities or those who were more anxious were more likely to give up breastfeeding after a short time or only use formula milk to feed their babies.

Dr Brown suggested that the reason for this is that mothers who are introverted feel more self-conscious when breastfeeding in front of other people.

Furthermore anxious women feel that they cannot get the support they need when breastfeeding. A lack of support is one of the major reasons for quitting breastfeeding.

"The important message from the findings is that some mothers may face more challenges with breastfeeding based on their wider personality. Although they may want to breastfeed, more introverted or anxious mothers may need further support in boosting their confidence and learning about how to solve problems, and they may need encouragement to make sure they access the breastfeeding support services that are available," commented Dr Brown.

The findings of this study are published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing.