Incidents of mothers killing their own children are becoming more commonplace in the U.S. In fact the U.S. ranks the highest of any developed nation in maternal filicide. The literature on filicide is inadequate to determine relevant risk factors for maternal filicide. It is proposed that an in-depth analysis of maternal filicide be undertaken to examine the childhood dynamics and common behavioral characteristics of the filicidal mothers, and determine which childhood factors and behaviors may be relevant to risk prediction.
