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

Theresa Porter, Helen Gavin

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    166 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 languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)99-112
    Number of pages14
    JournalTrauma, Violence, and Abuse
    Volume11
    Issue number3
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 15 Jun 2010

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Infanticide and Neonaticide: A Review of 40 Years of Research Literature on Incidence and Causes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this