New light shed on mothers who kill their babies
It seems to dismiss the idea that it is young, poor, unemployed single women who tend to kill their new-born babies.Researchers reviewed the case records of 26 courts in three regions of France that involved the death of a child in its first few days of life between 1996 and 2000 and found the cases made up almost a third (27%) of all intentional violent deaths during this period. They also seemed to show that the rate of newborn killings is actually five times higher than official statistics in France record.
The average age of the mothers involved was 26 and a third had at least three children already. Two-thirds had not used contraception while the rest had used it irregularly for this particular pregnancy. More than half lived with the dead child's father and two thirds were employed in jobs similar to those of women in the general population. There was also no evidence that these mothers were mentally ill or had been abused as children.
However, half of the mothers were depressed and what seemed to distinguish them were low levels of self-esteem, emotional immaturity, dependency on others and fear of abandonment.
The authors commented: "Our findings suggest that preventative action, targeting only young, poor, unemployed and single women or women in pregnancy denial may not be appropriate."
The average age of the mothers involved was 26 and a third had at least three children already. Two-thirds had not used contraception while the rest had used it irregularly for this particular pregnancy. More than half lived with the dead child's father and two thirds were employed in jobs similar to those of women in the general population. There was also no evidence that these mothers were mentally ill or had been abused as children.
However, half of the mothers were depressed and what seemed to distinguish them were low levels of self-esteem, emotional immaturity, dependency on others and fear of abandonment.
The authors commented: "Our findings suggest that preventative action, targeting only young, poor, unemployed and single women or women in pregnancy denial may not be appropriate."
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