NCJ Number
75522
Journal
British Journal of Psychiatry Volume: 134 Dated: (1979) Pages: 560-571
Date Published
1979
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The results of an investigation of the characteristics of women who were charged with killing or attempting to kill their own children are reported and a typology for maternal filicide is presented.
Abstract
During a 6-year period, 89 women charged with progeny murder, manslaughter, infanticide, or attmpted murder, who had been admitted to the Holloway Prison in Great Britain, were included in the study. Case records were reviewed and 41 subjects were personally examined. A total of 48 of the subjects were married, 19 were single, 19 were separated or divorced, and 1 was widowed. Six types of maternal filicide were identified: battering (36 cases), mentally ill mothers (9 cases), women who killed unwanted children (8 cases), and mercy killing (1 case in which there was a real suffering in the victim and no secondary gain for the mother). There was a previous history of psychiatric illness requiring treatment in 35 cases. The most common source of stress among the respondents was discord with husbands or cohabitees. Housing problems and financial difficulties also contributed to stress. Youthful parenthood was found in all groups. The offenders had a total of 109 victims, 83 of whom died. Survival was most common among victims of mentally ill mothers. In only one case was there an additional victim who was not a child. Eighteen of the subjects attempted suicide at the time of the offense or immediately afterward. A total of 32 of the subjects received bail prior to trial. Although 60 of the subjects were initially charged with murder, only 2 were convicted on this charge. There were medical dispositions in half of the cases. Warning symptoms included minor psychiatric symptoms, previous histories of battering, and illness of children. Tabular data and 23 references are provided.