Grant: Operating Grant

Many new mothers experience unwanted thoughts of harm related to their infant. In our own work, all of the mothers we interviewed reported unwanted thoughts of harm coming to their infant, and half reported unwanted thoughts of harming their infant. Thoughts of harming one's infant can be very upsetting, and occur even among women who have no history of violence, and who hold a deep desire to protect and care for their infant. As very little research on postpartum thoughts of harm has been conducted, professionals are unsure about how to respond to them. Inappropriate responses can have serious consequences. If the thoughts mean that a woman is at risk of harming her infant, then acting to protect the infant is necessary. However, if the thoughts are a common and normal part of early parenting, taking dramatic steps to protect the child may make the mother feel unnecessarily afraid that she is a threat to her infant. Among vulnerable women, this may make it more likely that she develop emotional difficulties such as anxiety or depression. The purpose of this research is to learn more about new mothers' unwanted thoughts of infant-related harm: how common these thoughts are, how mothers experience and respond to them, how they relate to maternal mental health, and whether they predict child harm. To find this out, we are recruiting a large, representative sample of pregnant women in British Columbia. Women will be assessed from late in pregnancy through to 3-months postpartum. We will assess the occurrence, content, and experience of thoughts of harm as well as how women respond to them. We will assess their relation to postpartum maternal anxiety and depression, and the possible connection to child harm. We hope that our research will help new mothers who experience unwanted thoughts of harm related to their infant, and make it easier for care providers to respond appropriately to them.