Fuertes, M., Gonçalves, J.L., Faria, A., Lopes-dos-Santos, P., Conceição, I.C. & Dionisio, F. (2020) Maternal sensitivity and mother-infant attachment are associated with antibiotic uptake in infancy.
Journal of Health Psychology, , 1359105320941245. DOI:10.1177/1359105320941245 (IF2020 3,231; Q2 Psychology, Clinical)Attachment security has been associated with health status and symptom reporting. In this longitudinal study, we investigated the association between antibiotics uptake by infants at 9-months and mother-infant attachment at 12-months. Logistic regression analyses indicated that lower maternal sensitivity was associated with increased odds of antibiotic uptake. Furthermore, 89.7% of insecure-ambivalent infants consumed antibiotics, which contrasted with 32.5% of avoidant infants and 21.5% of secure infants. This study suggests that maternal behavior and mother-infant attachment impact on antibiotic consumption, which is worrying because antibiotics may lead to several health problems later in life and antibiotic-resistance.
Francisco Dionísio Evolutionary Ecology of Microorganisms
