The children were under age 12 between 1970-96. Data on the mothers were collected from mental state examination (MSE) reports. Cases were divided into 15 neonaticides and 33 killings of an older child. Childhood abuse was documented in 63 percent of the mothers' MSE reports. Qualitative analysis identified neonaticides, joint homicide-suicide attempts, impulsive aggression, psychotic acts, postpartum depression and abusive acts. Nonlinear principal components analysis showed that different variables were related to the neonaticide and non-neonaticide cases. The study concluded that, despite differences in the psychosocial profiles of neonaticides and other maternal homicidal acts, the cycle of violence perspective can be applied to both cases, even though it may not be a sufficient explanation for maternal child killings. Tables, figure, references