She Was Feeling Overwhelmed at Home Caring for Her Children

Expectations of “Intensive Motherhood” as a Risk Factor for Young Women's Suicide

Bibliographic Data

ID6459909
AuthorsHarriet Townsend (0000-0002-2820-0990, Macquarie University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume31
Issue11
Pages2803-2829
Publication date2024-07-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueViolence Against Women (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1077-8012 • E-ISSN: 1552-8448
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/10778012241265365
PMID39043125
OpenAlexW4400901329
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited61

Suicide is a leading cause of death among young women and perinatal mothers. This paper explores how expectations of motherhood played a role in young women's deaths by suicide. I question the notion that motherhood is a “protective” factor against suicide. Using the concept of “intensive motherhood,” I interrogate how expectations of mothers became fatal. Through analysis of 31 young Australian mothers who died by suicide, three key themes are explored, centered upon the theme of “failing motherhood”: mothering without a father, mothering with mental illness, and the loss of care of children

Developmental psychology · Feeling · Injury prevention · Medical emergency · Occupational safety and health · Poison control · Risk factor · Suicide prevention · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Maternal Mental Health During Pregnancy and Postpartum · Medicine · Psychology · Social Psychology