Date

4-7-2026

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Amy McDonald Stevens

Keywords

peer support, leader support, breastfeeding support, nursing mother, turnover intention, job satisfaction

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Nursing mothers who return to work after maternity leave face significant challenges in balancing breastfeeding with workplace demands, particularly when returning before the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended 6-month timeline. Previous research has identified peer and leader support of breastfeeding as key factors in supporting work–family balance, influencing job satisfaction, and promoting positive work behaviors, including motivation and productivity. However, little research has explored how peer and leader support of breastfeeding influence the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention among nursing mothers. To extend previous research, data were collected from 88 nursing mothers recruited through Private Facebook groups, using the Manager Support and Co-Worker Support subscales of the Employee Perceptions of Breastfeeding Support Questionnaire (Greene & Olson, 2008), the Job Satisfaction Survey (Spector, 1985), and the Turnover Intention Scale (Cohen, 1999b). Using Pearson’s product-moment correlation and multiple linear regression for moderation analyses to examine and measure the variables, results revealed a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and turnover intention, as well as between peer and leader breastfeeding support and turnover intention. However, no significant moderation effects were found, indicating peer and leader support did not moderate the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover intention. The study findings do demonstrate the importance of creating supportive workplace environments for nursing mothers to potentially contribute to improved job satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

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