Filicide by mentally ill maternal perpetrators: a longitudinal, retrospective study over 30 years in a single Northern Italy psychiatric-forensic facility.
Filicide
Infanticide
Intra-familiar violence
Italian forensic facilities
Motherhood psychopathology
Journal
Archives of women's mental health
ISSN: 1435-1102
Titre abrégé: Arch Womens Ment Health
Pays: Austria
ID NLM: 9815663
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
04 2023
04 2023
Historique:
received:
28
11
2022
accepted:
25
02
2023
medline:
3
4
2023
pubmed:
8
3
2023
entrez:
7
3
2023
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Characterization of mentally ill maternal perpetrators of filicide assigned to a single psychiatric-forensic facility, including previous access to mental health services. A cross-sectional, retrospective analysis of medical records and legal documentation of maternal filicide patients at a single psychiatric-forensic facility (1990-2021) was performed. Socio-demographic, relationship, psychopathological, and criminological characteristics were collected. Data were compared according to previous perpetrators' access to mental health services or not and access within 1 year prior to filicide or not. All 55 detainees (mean age 34.8 ± 6.2 years) were included. There were 64 victims; 15 (23%) were ≤ 1 year old and most (77%) were single victims. Some mothers had history of violence/abuse (29%), an aggressive parent (45%), and violent relationships with their intimate partner (46%) and were socially isolated (49%). Most crimes were motivated by altruism (53%). Women had attempted suicide in 39% of filicide cases. Previous psychiatric diagnoses were available for 56%; 71% had accessed services for ≤ 1 year. Patients unknown to mental health services were less likely Italian, with children below preschool age and with no history of physical abuse/violence, aggressive parent, or suicide attempts. Patients lost to mental health services (> 1 year) were less likely Italian or assuming psychopharmacological therapy, were in shorter relationships, and were mostly diagnosed with personality disorders. Female perpetrators of filicide are often unknown/lost to mental health services prior to the crime. Multifactorial historical and current characteristics aid in identifying mothers at risk. Communication of the availability of mental health services must be multi-lingual.
Identifiants
pubmed: 36882553
doi: 10.1007/s00737-023-01303-6
pii: 10.1007/s00737-023-01303-6
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
153-165Informations de copyright
© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Austria, part of Springer Nature.
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