Convicted Women Who Have Killed Children: A Self-Psychology Perspective

Because the innocence and vulnerability of children typically arouse feelings of nurturance and protectiveness, how do we understand homicides involving women who have killed children? As part of a NIDA-funded study that examined the role of drugs in homicides committed by women, life history interviews with 42 women convicted of killing children were conducted. Repeated experiences of damage to the self, including physical and sexual victimization, suicide attempts, and substance abuse, were evident throughout the lives of these women. The extent that these self-damage indicators interfered with the women's ability to parent children is discussed. Links between these self-damage experiences and the homicide are explored.