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  • Population Study Article
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Breastfeeding duration and risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents

Pediatric Research (2025)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Epidemiological evidence on the relationship between breastfeeding duration in early childhood and subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescence is limited. This prebirth cohort study examined whether a longer breastfeeding duration was associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents at 13 years.

Methods

The study included 872 mother–child pairs. Adolescent depressive symptoms were assessed using a 20-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale score of ≥16.

Results

The risk of depressive symptoms was 23.2% among the 872 adolescents aged 13 years. A reverse J-shaped association was found between breastfeeding duration and depressive symptoms at 13 years. Compared with <6 months of breastfeeding, 6 to <18 months, but not ≥18 months, of breastfeeding was significantly associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for depressive symptoms at 13 years for <6 months, 6 to <18 months, and ≥18 months of breastfeeding were 1 (reference), 0.58 (0.34−0.99), and 0.78 (0.46−1.32), respectively.

Conclusions

The present study found a reverse J-shaped association between breastfeeding duration and depressive symptoms at age 13. Breastfeeding for a duration of at least 6 months may be recommended to prevent adolescent depressive symptoms.

Impact

  • Epidemiological evidence on the relationship between breastfeeding duration in early childhood and subsequent depressive symptoms in adolescence is limited.

  • The current prebirth cohort study is the first to report a reverse J-shaped association between breastfeeding duration and depressive symptoms at 13 years.

  • Compared with breastfeeding for <6 months, breastfeeding for 6 to <18 months, but not ≥18 months, was significantly associated with a reduced risk of depressive symptoms at 13 years.

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Data availability

Data not available due to ethical restrictions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the Kyushu Branch of the Japan Allergy Foundation, the Fukuoka Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Okinawa Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Miyazaki Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Oita Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Kumamoto Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Nagasaki Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Kagoshima Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Saga Association of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, the Fukuoka Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Okinawa Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Fukuoka City Government, and the Fukuoka City Medical Association for their valuable support.

Funding

This study was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 19590606JP, 20791654JP, 21590673JP, 22592355JP, 22119507JP, 24390158JP, 25463275JP, 25670305JP, 17K12011JP, 17H04135JP, and 21H03199; by AMED under Grant Number JP22gk0110039, JP23gn0110039, JP23gn0110079, JP24gn0110088, and JP24gn0110079; by Health and Labour Sciences Research Grants for Research on Allergic Disease and Immunology and Health Research on Children, Youth and Families from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan; by Meiji Co. Ltd.; by Meiji Holdings Co., Ltd, and by the Food Science Institute Foundation (Ryoushoku-kenkyukai).

Author information

Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Sandrine Mengue M’efoue, Yoshihiro Miyake.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan

    Sandrine Mengue M’efoue, Yoshihiro Miyake, Hisafumi Kihara & Keiko Tanaka

  2. Integrated Medical and Agricultural School of Public Health, Ehime University, Ehime, Japan

    Yoshihiro Miyake, Hisafumi Kihara & Keiko Tanaka

  3. Research Promotion Unit, Translation Research Center, Ehime University Hospital, Ehime, Japan

    Yoshihiro Miyake & Keiko Tanaka

  4. Center for Data Science, Ehime University, Ehime, Japan

    Yoshihiro Miyake & Keiko Tanaka

  5. Department of Healthcare Data Science, Ehime University Graduate School of Medicine, Ehime, Japan

    Yoshihiro Miyake

  6. Food & Health Function Research Center, Ehime University, Ehime, Japan

    Keiko Tanaka

Authors
  1. Sandrine Mengue M’efoue
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  2. Yoshihiro Miyake
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  3. Hisafumi Kihara
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  4. Keiko Tanaka
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Contributions

MMS performed the analyses, interpreted the results, drafted the initial manuscript, and revised the manuscript. YM conceptualized and designed the study, conducted the research, performed the analyses, interpreted the results, drafted the initial manuscript, and revised the manuscript. KT and HK conceptualized and designed the study, conducted the research, assisted in the interpretation of the data, and reviewed and revised the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript as submitted.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yoshihiro Miyake.

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Competing interests

Y.M. and K.T. were financially supported by Meiji Co. Ltd. The other authors have no conflict of interest.

Consent statement

Mothers and their children provided written informed consent to participate in the KOMCHS.

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Consent Statement Mothers and their children provided written informed consent to participate in the KOMCHS

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Mengue M’efoue, S., Miyake, Y., Kihara, H. et al. Breastfeeding duration and risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents. Pediatr Res (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04004-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-025-04004-1

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