A Concept Analysis of Intergenerational Legacies in Lactation Decision-Making.

IF 2 4区医学 Q2 NURSING

Journal of Human Lactation Pub Date : 2026-08-06 DOI:10.1177/08903344261470642

Alicia M Logan, Katilya S Ware

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Intergenerational influences on infant feeding are widely recognized across disciplines, yet the concept of intergenerational legacies in lactation decision-making remains inconsistently defined in the literature. Terms such as "intergenerational transmission," "generational influence," "grandmother support," and "cultural transmission" are used interchangeably without conceptual precision. For African American women, intergenerational legacies carry the additional weight of American enslavement, forced wet nursing, and structural racism, adding distinct dimensions that have not been formally analyzed.

Research aim: The purpose of this concept analysis is to identify the defining attributes, antecedents, and consequences of intergenerational legacies in lactation decision-making.

Methods: Walker and Avant's eight-step framework guided this analysis. An interdisciplinary literature search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, and Scopus for peer-reviewed articles published in English from 2000 through 2025, spanning nursing, public health, anthropology, sociology, and family science.

Results: Three defining attributes were identified: (1) intergenerational transmission of lactation knowledge and beliefs, (2) historical and cultural context shaping feeding perceptions, and (3) adaptive responses across generations. Model, borderline, related, and contrary cases illustrate the concept's boundaries. Antecedents include multigenerational family structures, previous generations' feeding experiences, intergenerational communication pathways, and the historical context of enslavement. Consequences include shaping of maternal feeding attitudes, influence on lactation self-efficacy, and perpetuation or disruption of feeding norms.

Conclusions: This analysis provides the first formal definition of intergenerational legacies in lactation decision-making, offering a theoretical foundation for culturally responsive research and practice across populations, with particular application to communities shaped by historical disruption of intergenerational knowledge transmission.

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哺乳决策代际遗传的概念分析。

背景：对婴儿喂养的代际影响是广泛认可的跨学科，但代际遗产的概念在哺乳决策仍然不一致的定义在文献中。诸如“代际传播”、“代际影响”、“祖母支持”和“文化传播”等术语被交替使用，没有概念上的准确性。对于非裔美国妇女来说，代际遗产带来了美国奴役、强迫哺乳和结构性种族主义的额外负担，增加了尚未正式分析的不同维度。研究目的：本概念分析的目的是确定哺乳决策中代际遗传的定义属性、前因和后果。方法：Walker和Avant的八步框架指导了本分析。在PubMed、CINAHL、PsycINFO、Embase和Scopus上进行了跨学科文献检索，检索2000年至2025年期间发表的同行评议的英文文章，涵盖护理、公共卫生、人类学、社会学和家庭科学。结果：确定了三个定义属性：(1)哺乳知识和信仰的代际传播；(2)形成喂养观念的历史和文化背景；(3)代际适应性反应。模型、边界、相关和相反的案例说明了概念的边界。前因包括多代家庭结构、前几代人的喂养经历、代际交流途径和奴役的历史背景。其后果包括母亲喂养态度的形成，对哺乳自我效能的影响，以及喂养规范的延续或破坏。结论：该分析首次为哺乳决策中的代际遗产提供了正式定义，为跨人群的文化响应研究和实践提供了理论基础，特别适用于因代际知识传播的历史中断而形成的社区。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Human Lactation 医学-妇产科学

CiteScore

5.00

自引率

11.50%

发文量

100

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： Committed to the promotion of diversity and equity in all our policies and practices, our aims are: To provide our readers and the international communities of clinicians, educators and scholars working in the field of lactation with current and quality-based evidence, from a broad array of disciplines, including the medical sciences, basic sciences, social sciences and the humanities. To provide student and novice researchers, as well as, researchers whose native language is not English, with expert editorial guidance while preparing their work for publication in JHL. In each issue, the Journal of Human Lactation publishes original research, original theoretical and conceptual articles, discussions of policy and practice issues, and the following special features: Advocacy: A column that discusses a ‘hot’ topic in lactation advocacy About Research: A column focused on an in-depth discussion of a different research topic each issue Lactation Newsmakers: An interview with a widely-recognized outstanding expert in the field from around the globe Research Commentary: A brief discussion of the issues raised in a specific research article published in the current issue Book review(s): Reviews written by content experts about relevant new publications International News Briefs: From major international lactation organizations.