A while back someone requested references to support the claim that
breastfeeding may be protective against child abuse:

Mata, L. et al. Promotion of breastfeeding in Costa Rica: The Puriscal Study.
in PROGRAMMES TO PROMOTE BREASTFEEDING, ed. by D. Jelliffe and E.F.P.
Jelliffe, Oxford University Press, 1988. pp. 55-.

This is a large (77,847 live births) long (spans 10 yrs) prospective study
looking at the effect of various interventions used in an urban Costa Rican
hospital to reverse declining breastfeeding rates. Experimental introduction
of  rooming-in and early contact for bfg. produced the effect of increased
incidence and duration of breastfeeding.  The interesting thing was that
there was an unlooked-for finding concerning abandonment.  The study was done
during a recession in Costa Rica.  Child abuse and neglect usually increase
during times of economic stress, and in the population at large there was
indeed an increase in abandonment of children.  In the experimental
population, however, the rates of abandonment declined both for sick and for
well infants.  I shared this ref. with Dr. Klaus, and he was excited by the
findings.  I think its a hidden gem.  I've used it a few times in legal
(expert testimony) situations.

Hope this isn't too late for the person who needed help.

Barbara Wilson-Clay, BSE, IBCLC