Infanticide and Neonaticide:  A Review of 40 Years of Research Literature on Incidence and Causes

Theresa Porter; Helen Gavin

doi:10.1177/1524838010371950

Infanticide and Neonaticide: A Review of 40 Years of Research Literature on Incidence and Causes

Theresa Porter, Helen Gavin

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

160 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The prevailing public view on women who kill their babies is that they are either monsters or psychotic, or both. The psychiatric and legal communities recognize that the issue is not as simply dichotomous as this. Evidence suggests that there are important distinctions to be drawn between different types of baby deaths and that this may have implications for identification, punishment, and/or treatment of potential and actual perpetrators. This article reviews and summarizes research, incidence statistics, and judicial and clinical outcomes ranging over four decades of work and sets out various ways forward in the study and prevention of infant murder.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	99-112
Number of pages	14
Journal	Trauma, Violence, and Abuse
Volume	11
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838010371950
Publication status	Published - 15 Jun 2010

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Infanticide and Neonaticide: A Review of 40 Years of Research Literature on Incidence and Causes

Abstract

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