“She was feeling overwhelmed at home caring for her children” : expectations of "intensive motherhood” as a risk factor for young women's suicide

Townsend, Harriet

“She was feeling overwhelmed at home caring for her children” : expectations of "intensive motherhood” as a risk factor for young women's suicide Harriet Townsend - Sage, 2024 - Violence Against Women .

Violence Against Women, 2024, First published online, 23 July 2024

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. (Author's abstract). Record #8916


CHILD PROTECTION
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
FAMILY VIOLENCE
INTEMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE
MENTAL HEALTH
PREGNANCY
RISK FACTORS
SUICIDE
YOUNG MOTHERS
YOUNG WOMEN


INTERNATIONAL
AUSTRALIA