Antagonistic circuits mediating infanticide and maternal care in female mice.

In many species, including mice, female animals show markedly different pup-directed behaviours based on their reproductive state1,2. Naive wild female mice often kill pups, while lactating female mice are dedicated to pup caring3,4. The neural mechanisms that mediate infanticide and its switch to maternal behaviours during motherhood remain unclear. Here, on the basis of the hypothesis that maternal and infanticidal behaviours are supported by distinct and competing neural circuits5,6, we use the medial preoptic area (MPOA), a key site for maternal behaviours7-11, as a starting point and identify three MPOA-connected brain regions that drive differential negative pup-directed behaviours. Functional manipulation and in vivo recording reveal that oestrogen receptor α (ESR1)-expressing cells in the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of stria terminalis (BNSTprESR1) are necessary, sufficient and naturally activated during infanticide in female mice. MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 neurons form reciprocal inhibition to control the balance between positive and negative infant-directed behaviours. During motherhood, MPOAESR1 and BNSTprESR1 cells change their excitability in opposite directions, supporting a marked switch of female behaviours towards the young.

Expectativas de mães e cuidadoras sobre participação em um programa de prevenção à violência / Expectations of mothers/caregivers regarding the participation in a violence prevention program / Expectativas de madres/cuidadoras sobre la participación en un programa de prevención de la violencia

O presente estudo qualitativo objetivou compreender as expectativas de mães e cuidadoras sobre a sua participação no Programa ACT para Educar Crianças em Ambientes Seguros na versão remota, no período da pandemia de covid-19. Também visou identificar a percepção das participantes sobre educar uma criança em um ambiente seguro. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas on-line com doze mães e cuidadoras, antes da participação no Programa ACT. Os resultados indicaram diferentes expectativas sobre a participação no Programa ACT, entre elas: adquirir novos conhecimentos, aprimorar as habilidades parentais, trocar experiências, receber auxílio no momento da pandemia de covid-19 e possibilitar para a criança um desenvolvimento saudável. Na percepção das mães e cuidadoras, a versão remota do Programa ACT apresenta aspectos positivos; entre eles, a participação de pais e cuidadores que não residem na cidade em que é oferecida a intervenção. No entanto, apontaram como fatores negativos a ausência do contato físico e as interrupções que podem acontecer a partir das falhas de internet. Para as mães e cuidadoras, educar a criança em um ambiente seguro estava relacionado a promover os direitos estabelecidos no Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA), como educação, saúde, lazer, cuidado, afeto, assim como protegê-la de situações de violência. Considera-se que as expectativas das participantes estavam alinhadas aos objetivos do Programa ACT. Torna-se prioritário oferecer programas de prevenção à violência aos pais e cuidadores, em especial em momentos adversos como o da pandemia de covid-19, a fim de promover o desenvolvimento e a saúde das crianças, assim como prevenir situações de violação de direitos.(AU)

This qualitative study aims to understand the expectations of mothers and caregivers about participating in the ACT Raising Safe Kids Program in its remote version, during the COVID-19 pandemic period. It also aims to identify the participants' perception of raising a child in a safe environment. Semi-structured on-line interviews were conducted with 12 mothers/caregivers, prior to participation in the ACT Program. The results indicated different expectations regarding the participation in the ACT Program, for example: acquiring new knowledge, improving parenting skills, exchanging experiences, receiving support during the COVID-19 pandemic, and enabling the child to have a healthy development. In the perception of mothers and caregivers, the remote version of the ACT Program has positive aspects, such as the participation of parents and caregivers who do not live in the city where the intervention is offered. However, they pointed out as negative factors absence of physical contact and interruptions due to internet failures. For the mothers/caregivers, educating children in a safe environment was related to promoting the rights established by the Brazilian Child and Adolescent Statute, namely education, health, leisure, care, affection, as well as protecting them from situations of violence. The expectations of the participants were aligned with the objectives of the ACT Program. Offering violence prevention programs to parents and caregivers is a priority, especially in adverse moments such as the COVID-19 pandemic, in order to promote the development and health of children, as well as prevent situations of violation of rights.(AU)

Este estudio cualitativo pretendió comprender las expectativas de madres y cuidadoras sobre la participación en el Programa de ACT para Educar a Niños en Ambientes Seguros en la versión remota, en el periodo de la pandemia de la COVID-19. También se propuso identificar la percepción de las participantes sobre educar a un niño en un ambiente seguro. Se llevaron a cabo entrevistas semiestructuradas en línea con 12 madres/cuidadoras, antes de la participación en el Programa ACT. Los resultados señalaron diferentes expectativas con la participación del Programa de ACT, entre ellas: adquirir nuevos conocimientos, perfeccionar las habilidades parentales, intercambiar experiencias, recibir auxilio en el momento de la pandemia de la COVID-19 y posibilitar al niño un desarrollo saludable. En la percepción de las madres y cuidadoras, la versión remota del Programa de ACT presenta aspectos positivos, como la participación de padres y cuidadores que no residen en la ciudad donde es ofrecida la intervención. Sin embargo, señalaron como factores negativos la ausencia del contacto físico y las interrupciones, que pueden ocurrir por fallas en Internet. Para las madres/cuidadoras, educar al niño en un ambiente seguro estaba relacionado a promover los derechos establecidos en el Estatuto del Niño y del Adolescente de Brasil, como educación, salud, ocio, cuidado, afecto, así como protegerlo de situaciones de violencia. Se considera que las expectativas de las participantes estaban alineadas con los objetivos del Programa de ACT. Es prioritario ofrecer programas de prevención a la violencia a los padres y cuidadores, en especial en momentos adversos como el de la pandemia de la COVID-19, con el fin de promover el desarrollo y la salud de los niños, así como prevenir situaciones de vulneración de derechos.(AU)

Experiences and perspectives of women who have committed neonaticide, infanticide and filicide: A systematic review and qualitative evidence synthesis.

WHAT IS KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT?: The phenomenon of child killing (neonaticide, infanticide or filicide) is a rare event that cannot be fully explained by a single construct as each case involves the unique life circumstances of each woman who committed the act(s). WHAT THE PAPER ADDS TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE?: The majority of women who committed neonaticide, infanticide or filicide regretted the act and regretted not seeking help from family and healthcare professionals. Women who committed neonaticide, infanticide or filicide in the main had complex circumstances characterised by poverty, abusive relationships, poor family and social support or over reliance on family supports and mental health issues. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE?: Women require a clear plan of what to do if they feel overwhelmed with caring for a baby or child. Healthcare professionals involved with women in the perinatal period need to explore further women's expressions of "not being ready to be a mother" which for some women may be pathological and require further assessment. Women need to be made aware of the support service pathways available to them during the perinatal period and beyond. Further research is needed to explore and learn from women's experiences to reduce child homicide mortality and support women and their families. ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: Meaning and personal experiences of the acts of neonaticide, infanticide and filicide have rarely been investigated from the perspectives of the women who committed those acts. AIMS: To identify and synthesise evidence on the perspectives of women directly involved in the complex phenomena of neonaticide, infanticide or filicide from the evidence available on their unique point of view and how these experiences have affected women's lives. To understand how the experiences and perceptions of women who engaged in child killing present similarities or differences according to the child's age at time of death. METHODS: Qualitative primary studies published in English were included if they explored the experiences of women who engaged in neonaticide, infanticide or filicide. Methodological quality was assessed using the qualitative Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) checklist. A thematic analysis framework guided the synthesis. RESULTS: Seven papers reporting on five studies met the inclusion criteria for the review. Three analytical themes were identified: Not ready to be a mother; Intentionality and premeditation in the context of trauma and mental health issues; Sorrow of regret. DISCUSSION: The majority of women who committed neonaticide, infanticide or filicide had complex psychological, social and personal circumstances and in the main regretted the act and regretted not seeking help from family and healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals in contact with women during the perinatal period and beyond need to be aware of the profiles of vulnerable women and undertake holistic integrated assessments to identify the woman's personal context, changes in interpersonal relationships, social isolation or over reliance on family supports and changes in mental health status or new onset of mental health conditions. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Women require a clear plan of what to do if they feel overwhelmed with caring for a baby or child. Healthcare professionals involved with women in the perinatal period need to explore further women's expressions of "not being ready to be a mother" which for some women might be pathological and require further assessment. Women need to be made aware of the support services pathways available to them during the perinatal period and beyond. Further research is needed to explore and learn from women's experiences of each of the phenomena separately to reduce child homicide mortality and support women and their families.

[Regulatory evolution of the crime of infanticide]. / Evoluzione normativa del delitto di infanticidio.

The objective of the present study consists of the juridic-anthropological analysis of the infanticide, a phenomenon that nowadays is highly existent within the context of crime-settings. Particular consideration has been given to the legal developments of the infanticide act, which occurred simultaneously with the mutation of the socio-cultural contexts. Because the legislative process of the infanticide act has not evolved since 1981, it was possible to underline the criticisms and the inadequacy of such norm. Indeed, the legal norm has not always been able to provide an exhaustive answer concerning cases of infanticide. The process of humanisation of the law led to the introduction of a legal system, which describes the infanticide act as a condition of material and moral abandonment. This has become uncertain and ambiguous to interpret, risking to relegate the legislative matters of infanticide only to exceptional cases. The current study aims to highlight the criticisms and hypothesised different reform perspectives.

Sex selection in late Iberian infant burials: Integrating evidence from morphological and genetic data.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the infant burials found inside Iberian homes in relation to a possible case of sex selection. METHODS: The study included the remains of 11 infant individuals buried under the 10 houses excavated in the late Iberian village of Camp de les Lloses (Tona, Barcelona, Spain). Sex was determined using genetic analysis. RESULTS: Our results showed that almost all the burials were females. However, the age interval of death was wide enough to weaken the premise of infanticide, and the burials probably represent cases of natural death. DISCUSSION: Infanticide in its different forms has long been argued as an explanation for the infant remains found throughout various burial sites. Many authors thought that infanticide, mainly femicide, was the main method of population control in ancient times. However, there is no anthropological evidence (age distribution and sex analyzed genetically) to support the intentional killing of females in this or in other cases. We hypothesized that there was a positive selection for females to be buried inside the houses, probably related to their benefactor roles.

Blurring reality with fiction: Exploring the stories of women, madness, and infanticide.

PROBLEM: Often, there is a sense of shock and disbelief when a mother murders her child. BACKGROUND: Yet, literary texts (plays, poems and novels) contain depictions of women experiencing mental illness or feelings of desperation after childbirth who murder their children. AIM: To further understand why a woman may harm her child we examine seven literary texts ranging in time and place from fifth century BCE Greece to twenty-first century Australia. METHODS: A textual analysis approach examined how the author positioned the woman in the text, how other characters in the text reacted to the woman before, during, and after the mental illness or infanticide, and how the literary or historical critical literature sees the woman. FINDINGS: Three important points about the woman's experience were revealed: she is represented as morally ambiguous and becomes marginalised and isolated; she is depicted as murdering or abandoning her child because she is experiencing mental illness and/or she is living in desperate circumstances; and she believes there is no other option. CONCLUSION: Literary texts can shed light on socio-psychological struggles women experience and can be used to stimulate discussion by healthcare professionals about the development of preventative or early intervention strategies to identify women at risk.

In defence of academic freedom: bioethics journals under siege.

This article analyses, from a bioethics journal editor's perspective, the threats to academic freedom and freedom of expression that academic bioethicists and academic bioethics journals are subjected to by political activists applying pressure from outside of the academy. I defend bioethicists' academic freedom to reach and defend conclusions many find offensive and 'wrong'. However, I also support the view that academics arguing controversial matters such as, for instance, the moral legitimacy of infanticide should take clear responsibility for the views they defend and should not try to hide behind analytical philosophers' rationales such as wanting to test an argument for the sake of testing an argument. This article proposes that bioethics journals establish higher-quality requirements and more stringent mechanisms of peer review than usual for iconoclastic articles.

Chasing spirits: Clarifying the spirit child phenomenon and infanticide in Northern Ghana.

In the Kassena-Nankana District of Ghana, researchers and health interventionists describe a phenomenon wherein some children are subject to infanticide because they are regarded as spirit children sent "from the bush" to cause misfortune and destroy the family. This phenomenon remains largely misunderstood and misrepresented. Based upon both ethnographic research and verbal autopsy data from 2006 to 2007 and 2009, this paper clarifies the characteristics of and circumstances surrounding the spirit child phenomenon, the role it plays within community understandings of childhood illness and mortality, and the variations present within the discourse and practice. The spirit child is a complex explanatory model closely connected to the Nankani sociocultural world and understandings surrounding causes of illness, disability, and misfortune, and is best understood within the context of the larger economic, social, and health concerns within the region. The identification of a child as a spirit child does not necessarily indicate that the child was a victim of infanticide. The spirit child best describes why a child died, rather than how the death occurred. In addition to shaping maternal and child health interventions, these findings have implications for verbal autopsy assessments and the accuracy of demographic data concerning the causes of child mortality.

Abandoned babies and absent policies.

OBJECT: Although infant abandonment is a historical problem, we know remarkably little about the conditions or effects of abandonment to guide evidence driven policies. This paper briefly reviews the existing international evidence base with reference to potential mental health considerations before mapping current UK guidelines and procedures, and available incidence data. Limitations arising from these findings are discussed with reference to international practice, and interpreted in terms of future pathways for UK policy. METHOD: A systematic approach was utilized to gather available data on policy information and statistics on abandoned babies in the UK. RESULTS: A review of the limited literature indicates that baby abandonment continues to occur, with potentially wide-ranging mental health ramifications for those involved. However, research into such consequences is lacking, and evidence with which to understand risk factors or motives for abandonment is scarce. International approaches to the issue remain controversial with outcomes unclear. Our systematic search identified that no specific UK policy relating to baby abandonment exists, either nationally or institutionally. This is compounded by a lack of accurate of UK abandonment statistics. Data that does exist is not comprehensive and sources are incompatible, resulting in an ambiguous picture of UK baby abandonment. CONCLUSIONS: Available literature indicates an absence of clear provision, policy and research on baby abandonment. Based on current understanding of maternal and child mental health issues likely to be involved in abandonment, existing UK strategy could be easily adapted to avoid the 'learning from scratch' approach. National policies on recording and handling of baby abandonments are urgently needed, and future efforts should be concentrated on establishing clear data collection frameworks to inform understanding, guide competent practice and enable successfully targeted interventions.

Gene expression profiling in porcine maternal infanticide: a model for puerperal psychosis.

The etiology of mental disorders remains largely unclear. Complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors are key to the development of such disorders. Puerperal psychosis is the most extreme form of postnatal mood disorder in women. Similarly, parturition in the pig can trigger extreme behavioral disturbances, including maternal infanticide. In this study, we have used a targeted cDNA microarray approach using the pig as a model to understand the genes and genetic pathways that are involved in these processes. Two subtracted cDNA libraries from porcine hypothalamus were constructed, which were enriched for genes that were over-expressed and under-expressed in the aberrant behavioral phenotype, compared to the matched control. In addition to this, a normalized library was constructed from hypothalamus and pituitary samples taken from pigs in a variety of reproductive states. The libraries were partially sequenced and combined represented approximately 5,159 different genes. Microarray analysis determined differences in gene expression between hypothalamus samples from nine matched pairs of infanticidal versus control animals, using a common reference design. Microarray analysis of variance (MAANOVA) identified 52 clones as being differentially expressed (P

Concepts of childhood: what we know and where we might go.

The publication of some forty years ago of the landmark work by Philippe Aries, entitled Centuries of childhood, in its widely-read English translation, unleashed decades of scholarly investigation of that once-neglected target, the child. Since then, historians have uncovered the traces of attitudes toward children- were they neglected, exploited, abused, cherished?- and patterns of child-rearing. They have explored such issues, among others, as the varieties of European household structure; definitions of the stages of life; childbirth, wetnursing, and the role of the midwife; child abandonment and the foundling home; infanticide and its prosecution; apprenticeship, servitude, and fostering; the evolution of schooling; the consequences of religious diversification; and the impact of gender. This essay seeks to identify key features and recent trends amid this abundance of learned inquiry.

Childbirth in ancient Rome: from traditional folklore to obstetrics.

In ancient Rome, childbirth was a hazardous event for both mother and child with high rates of infant and maternal mortality. Traditional Roman medicine centred on folklore and religious practices, but with the development of Hippocratic medicine came significant advances in the care of women during pregnancy and confinement. Midwives or obstetrices played an important role and applied rational scientific practices to improve outcomes. This evolution from folklore to obstetrics was a pivotal point in the history of childbirth.

[Childhood in flux--Part I: Ancient world until modern times]. / Kindheit im Wandel--Teil I: Antike bis zur Neuzeit.

Scientific research on childhood constitutes a relatively new field. As we know today, there is no other period in our lives that more strongly forms us and our culture. Hence, it is surprising that in the past this viewpoint was completely different. Until medieval times, a child's life did not count for much, that is, as long as the child was not the beneficiary of an inheritance. And even if so, social relationships were businesslike, e.g. concerning marriage. J.-J. Rousseau (1712-1778) demonstrated the worthlessness of children even in his recognition of them: The nature of humans is neither good nor bad, and is hardly different from that of animals. Despite Rousseau's idealistic concept of education as a kind of identification process for the child, he put his own five children into the foundling hospital of Paris; he was bothered by them when writing. Up to the beginning of the 19th century, the value of a child was determined by his or her ability to work. In the years 1813 to 1814 in Great Britain, 130,000 out of 213,000 weavers were children under the age of 14. Children had to take part in breadwinning at an early age; their character was regarded as being like that of an immature adult (i. e., a small barbarian). Specific childlike needs were rarely met or even acknowledged by adults.

Maternal infanticide associated with mental illness: prevention and the promise of saved lives.

OBJECTIVE: Although maternal infanticide is a rare event, a high proportion of cases occurs in the context of postpartum mental illness. The author reviews historical, legislative, and contemporary psychiatric perspectives on infanticide and discusses ways in which the psychiatric community can improve prevention of infanticide and promote appropriate treatment of mentally ill women who commit infanticide. METHOD: The case of Texas v. Andrea Yates, involving a mother with mental illness who drowned her five children, is used to illustrate society's complicated reactions to infanticide in the context of postpartum mental illness. RESULTS: In the United States, the complexity of the response to infanticide is demonstrated by the judicial system's reaction to such cases. Whereas England's Infanticide Law provides probation and mandates psychiatric treatment for mothers with mental illness who commit infanticide, "killer mothers" may face the death penalty in the United States. Contemporary neuroscientific findings support the position that a woman with postpartum psychosis who commits infanticide needs treatment rather than punishment and that appropriate treatment will deter her from killing again. Psychiatrists have a vital role in recognizing the signs and symptoms of peripartum psychiatric disorders, particularly postpartum psychosis, and in early identification of and intervention with at-risk mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The absence of formal DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for postpartum psychiatric disorders promotes disparate treatment under the law. The psychiatric community should develop guidelines for the treatment of postpartum disorders, foster sharing of knowledge between psychiatry and the law, and do more to enlighten society about the effects of mental illness on thought and behavior so that decisions about the treatment and punishment of mentally ill persons will not be left exclusively in the hands of the judicial system.

Preventing the tragedy of neonaticide.

Denying a pregnancy can result in consequences as tragic as neonaticide--the killing of an infant in the first 24 hours of life. Between 150 and 300 neonaticides are committed each year but the actual prevalence of pregnancy denial is unknown. Adolescents are especially vulnerable to pregnancy denial because the unexpected event creates such enormous anxiety and fear for them. Pregnancy denial often eludes parents, teachers, and health care providers. Nurses can advocate for resources and pregnancy screening in primary care settings, and help educate parents and teachers about the problem.

History of son preference and sex selection in India and in the west.

In the history of mankind, there was a time when women dominated the world. In due course of time, as the patriarchal societies evolved, the status of women gradually declined. Sons were preferred to daughters. In India, the Brahmin community promoted such customs and rituals, which gave more and more importance to sons eg. Lighting the funeral pyre of the father was told to be a pre-condition for salvation of his spirit. Similarly, in western civilization also women were considered to be weak. In consonance with such a mind-set man has been trying various techniques for sex-selection since antiquity eg. for acquiring a son choosing a special day, time and posture for sexual intercourse, special diet, charms and amulet and prayers etc. In Vedas also punsavana karma has been described as a technique for acquiring a son. Apart from these techniques, female infanticide has also been used as a way to create a male dominated, son-worshipping society. On development of the technique of ultrasonography as an example of progress of science and technology, man has devised a new way of killing females in womb itself, which has resulted in continuous decline in female: male sex ratio in India. To stop this, Indian Govt. promulgated PNDT Act 1994. But considering the widely prevalent practice of use of various regimen of sex-pre-selection by people as well as unscrupulous medical practitioners, Govt. of India has amended this Act (2002). Still, as authors have found in one of their studies, sex-selection drugs are being used widely by north Indians for getting a son. Here, it should be noted that sex-selection methods are being used in west also. But the perspective is different. There, it is not used for female feticide or for acquiring a son. Rather, it is more an effort towards demonstrating the control of man over the NATURE.

[Death in the neonatal period and infancy. History of medicine and forensic criminal aspects]. / Tod im Neugeborenen- und Säuglingsalter. Medizinhistorische und forensisch-kriminalistische Aspekte.

From antiquity up to the present time the history of medicine contains innumerable examples of the different attitude of human beings in dealing with the death of children. This is paradigmatically described for the death of neonates and infants, with special consideration of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and selected forensic-criminalistic aspects. Against the historical background of forensic postmortem examination and forensic paidopathology the development of the autopsy is also outlined.