Personality structure and attachment models of women who kill their children. A systematic review on maternal filicide

Background: A mother's ability to attune with her child is crucial in structuring one's attachment style and personality. Both dimensions shape mother-child interactions, and they are therefore likely to impact on the risk of filicide. Numerous risk factors for filicide have been identified, but personality and attachment look relatively understudied. Objective: We focused on filicide mothers’ personality and states of mind regarding attachment to shed new light on this phenomenon, for the purpose of an improved and earlier identification of at-risk maternities. Methods: A systematic review of five electronic databases was performed. All studies on filicide, infanticide or neonaticide were included in the search, regardless of the study design or the socio-demographic characteristics of the offenders. Results: Twelve original articles were found to be eligible for the systematic review. The data were categorized in personality and attachment related, and then by study design. Only two studies performed comparisons with control groups, and only three reported data about psychodiagnostic/neuropsychiatric tests or questionnaires. Personality diagnoses were strongly heterogeneous (mostly pertaining to cluster B and C), and not supported by statistically significant evidence. Attachment was examined by only one study, which showed that the most frequent states of mind regarding attachment were unresolved/unclassifiable (U/CC). Conclusions: Despite their pivotal importance in determining relational patterns in an individual, both personality and attachment are almost unacknowledged across the literature about maternal filicide. It is thus advisable to further focus on them, carrying out structured and validated assessments, to better define the causes of this dramatic event.