Citation

McKee A, Egan V. Child Abuse Negl. 2013; 37(10): 753-761.

Affiliation

Edenfield Centre, Prestwich Hospital, Bury New Rd, Manchester M25 3BL, UK.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.02.008

PMID

23545352

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study reports a case-series study of 21 women from the United Kingdom convicted of the murder or manslaughter of their child (maternal filicide: MF). These cases were reviewed using data provided from police forces and from publicly available resources. METHODS: Content and thematic analysis and multidimensional scaling techniques were used to analyse the relationships between the variables present in the commission of the crimes. RESULTS: Mothers who killed their children could be categorised as emotionally driven and in despair at their situation, or rejecting their children due to perceiving them as a threat. Mothers who killed their babies (neonaticides) appeared to form two distinct subgroups: reluctant and detached neonaticidal offenders. CONCLUSION: These findings offer an insight into the factors that may be of relevance in understanding how a mother may come to commit MF, and are interpreted in terms of disturbed attachment processes.

Language: en