Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38890196›Full record

ArticleArchives of women's mental health2025

Denial of reproductive potential: a predictor of unperceived pregnancy in an Austrian neonaticide sample.

Claudia M Klier, Bozic Ina, Yvonne Kuipers, Sabine Amon

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Archives of women's mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Forensic aspects of reproductive mental health: editorial.Archives of women's mental health · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Claudia M KlierDepartment of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. claudia.klier@meduniwien.ac.at.ORCID 0000-0003-0696-8904
Bozic InaDepartment of Psychiatry and Psychotherapeutic Medicine, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.ORCID 0000-0002-2855-7682
Yvonne KuipersSchool of Health and Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-4200-0522
Sabine AmonBarmherzige Brüder Hospital, Vienna, Austria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aims to describe the phenomenon of unperceived pregnancy followed by neonaticide with a focus on the lack of awareness of reproductive potential in an Austrian sample.

methodsAn explorative comparative study of neonaticide cases with single and repeat perpetrators was conducted using nationwide register-based data from 1995 to 2017. A total number of 55 cases out of 66 were included in the analysis. A standardized coding sheet was used and calculations were performed.

results48 women gave birth to 101 children, of which 55 were killed, 23 children lived out of home care and 23 lived with the perpetrator We found a higher fertility rate in both neonaticide perpetrators in the single (1,9) and the repeat group (4,25) in comparison to the general population (1,4). The use of contraception was only 31% among neonaticide perpetrators, deviating substantially from the general Austrian population age group (16-29yrs) which used contraception in 91%. The neonaticide perpetrators used an effective contraception method (pearl-index < 4) in only 2%, whereas 20% of the general population did so. The number of unperceived pregnancies was high in both groups (50/55) 91%.

conclusionFuture case reports and forensic evaluations should take reproductive behavior into account, as it may offer valuable insights into the events leading up to neonaticide. Our findings suggest that denial of reproductive potential often precedes unperceived pregnancies. In the Austrian cohort, women who experienced unperceived pregnancies resulting in unassisted births and subsequent neonaticide showed a low prevalence of contraceptive use. This is particularly noteworthy given that the primary motive for neonaticide is unwanted pregnancy.

Indexed as

ContraceptionContraception BehaviorDenial, PsychologicalInfanticidePregnancy, UnwantedAdolescentAdultAustriaFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornPregnancyYoung AdultContraceptionDenial of fertilityDenial of pregnancyNeonaticidePerinatal psychiatryUnassisted birthUnperceived pregnancy

Identifiers

PMID38890196
PMCPMC12092476

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.