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Zimmerman GM, Fridel EE, Trovato D. Disproportionate burden of violence: Explaining racial and ethnic disparities in potential years of life lost among homicide victims, suicide decedents, and homicide-suicide perpetrators. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0297346. [PMID: 38324526 PMCID: PMC10849238 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0297346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Research indicates that the burden of violent death in the United States is disproportionate across racial and ethnic groups. Yet documented disparities in rates of violent death do not capture the full extent of this inequity. Recent studies examining race-specific rates of potential years of life lost-a summary measure of premature mortality-indicate that persons of color may die at younger ages than their counterparts, leading to increased trauma among surviving family members, friends, and communities. This study examines racial and ethnic disparities in potential years of life lost among people who died by homicide and suicide. We calculated potential years of life lost using life expectancy values specific to each racial and ethnic group, thereby isolating racial differences in potential years of life lost due to violence. Findings indicated that persons of color were disproportionately impacted by violence. Non-Hispanic African American homicide victims, suicide decedents, and homicide-suicide perpetrators died eleven or more years earlier than their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Similar disparities were observed for non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander decedents. Less pronounced differences were observed for Hispanic and non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native decedents. These racial and ethnic disparities were partly accounted for by a broad array of individual differences, incident characteristics, and contextual factors. The results suggest that homicide and suicide exact a high societal cost, and the burden of that cost is disproportionately high among persons of color.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M. Zimmerman
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Emma E. Fridel
- College of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, United States of America
| | - Daniel Trovato
- School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, United States of America
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Unvollendet gebliebener Versuch eines erweiterten Suizids durch Stromeinwirkung in der Badewanne. Rechtsmedizin (Berl) 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00194-021-00466-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
ZusammenfassungWährend sich heutzutage in westlichen Ländern erweiterte Suizide ganz überwiegend in (gescheiterten) Partnerbeziehungen ereignen, stellen Kindstötungen mit nachfolgendem Suizid eines Elternteils ein seltenes Ereignis dar. Vorgestellt wird der ungewöhnliche Fall eines versuchten Homizid-Suizides einer 36-jährigen Frau, die durch das Einbringen eines eingeschalteten Föhns in das Badewasser beabsichtigte, sich und ihre 7 Jahre alte Tochter zu töten. Während sich das Kind selbstständig aus der Wanne befreien und die Großeltern informieren konnte, wurde die Frau in benommenem Zustand von ihrem Vater vorgefunden. Beim Versuch, seine Tochter aus der Badewanne zu bergen, habe er einen Stromfluss verspürt. Bemerkenswerterweise haben alle 3 Personen ohne gesundheitlichen Schaden überlebt; sie wiesen keine Strommarken auf. Die ungewöhnliche Fallkonstellation, die elektrotechnischen Aspekte und die psychiatrische Vorgeschichte der Täterin, die zum Tatzeitpunkt unter dem Einfluss von Alkohol und eines sedierenden Mittels stand, werden unter Berücksichtigung der einschlägigen Literatur diskutiert.
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Myers WC, Lee E, Montplaisir R, Lazarou E, Safarik M, Chan HCO, Beauregard E. Revenge filicide: An international perspective through 62 cases. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2021; 39:205-215. [PMID: 33611814 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2020] [Revised: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 12/12/2020] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Filicide is the purposeful killing of one or more children by a parent, step-parent, or other parental figure. Revenge filicide is a poorly understood, rare form of filicide in which a parent murders their child to cause emotional harm to the child's other parent. This descriptive study presents an international case series consisting of 62 revenge filicide cases from nine countries. Perpetrators were about equally likely to be male or female. Over half of the sample had an active mental disorder of any type, most often a personality disorder. A history of domestic violence was common. The mean victim age was 6 years. They were typically killed by asphyxiation, firearms, or knives, and preschool age children were targeted most frequently. In half of the cases, more than one child was murdered. Post-crime suicidal behavior was commonplace, and one-third of the sample died by suicide. Four revenge filicide subtypes were identified: rejection, custody/visitation dispute, infidelity/jealousy, and argument/conflict. These categories may prove useful in future research and for helping to identify children at high risk of becoming filicide victims. All surviving offenders were criminally convicted, and in only one case was a mental health defense successful in lessening culpability. Notable similarities and differences between the US and international cases are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wade C Myers
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Erica Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | - Rose Montplaisir
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
| | | | - Mark Safarik
- Forensic Behavioral Services, Inc., Fredericksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Heng Choon Oliver Chan
- Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Eric Beauregard
- School of Criminology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
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Felthous AR, Samantarai S, Mukhtar A. Gender differences in combined homicide-suicide with consideration of female terrorist bombers. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2019; 37:614-631. [PMID: 31769068 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2019] [Revised: 07/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Combined homicide-suicide (H-S) is a phenomenon described as an offender committing a homicidal act followed by their suicide. Current literature on H-S is dominated by a focus on men and their particular set of motivations and actions, primarily because females constitute only a small fraction of the cases of completed H-S. This review begins by analyzing this data and integrating females within two subclassifications of H-S: the psychopathology of the actor (or perpetrator), and the actor's relationship to her homicide victims. Within the relational subcategory of H-S, females are: (1) underrepresented when victims are their spouses or intimate partners (consortial H-S); (2) more prevalent when victims are their own children (filial H-S); and (3) with rare exceptions, not represented in extrafamilial, adversarial and pseudo-commando H-S perpetrators. This review includes female bombers in this gender comparison.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alan R Felthous
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Assad Mukhtar
- Saint Louis University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA
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Weeke A, Oberwittler D. A Comparison of Note Writers and No Note Writers in Homicide-Suicide Cases in Germany. Arch Suicide Res 2018; 22:11-19. [PMID: 28339322 DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2017.1304307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study is to investigate potential differences between homicide-suicide cases in which the perpetrator does or does not write a suicide note. As homicide-suicides are complex types of lethal violence for which the aggressor cannot be held accountable, suicide notes may be a valuable source of information about the background of these cases and the perpetrators' motives. We use a national sample of N = 288 homicide-suicide cases in Germany applying group comparisons and chi-square tests for relevant variables. Perpetrators killing their own children and perpetrators leaving children behind before killing themselves write significantly more suicide notes than other perpetrators. Even though note writers and no note writers are similar regarding most sociodemographic characteristics, other differences question the generalizability between these 2 groups.
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Maden C. Extended suicide: Public tragedy. CRIMINAL BEHAVIOUR AND MENTAL HEALTH : CBMH 2017; 27:389-394. [PMID: 29214712 DOI: 10.1002/cbm.2050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Carla Maden
- UCL Medical School, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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Byard RW, Maxwell Stewart H. Judicial Murder-Suicides in Van Diemen's Land. J Forensic Sci 2017; 63:1146-1148. [DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Revised: 09/24/2017] [Accepted: 09/28/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Roger W. Byard
- School of Medicine; The University of Adelaide; Frome Road Adelaide South Australia 5005 Australia
- Forensic Science SA; 21 Divett Place Adelaide SA 5000 Australia
| | - Hamish Maxwell Stewart
- School of Humanities; University of Tasmania; Churchill Avenue, Sandy Bay Tasmania 7005 Australia
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Byard RW, O'Donovan S, van den Huevel C, Baldock M. Familial Vehicular Murder-Suicide. J Forensic Sci 2017; 63:1307-1308. [PMID: 28973788 DOI: 10.1111/1556-4029.13667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2017] [Revised: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 09/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A certain number of single-vehicle crashes into stationary roadside objects such as trees are thought to be occult suicides. However, is it possible that some cases of multiple deaths within a family in similar crashes are due to unrecognized familial murder-suicides? A 39-year-old woman and her 11-year-old daughter are reported who died of injuries following a vehicle impact with a tree. Unusual behavior of the mother leading up to the crash, and assessment at the scene, raised the possibility of this being a nonaccidental event. However, difficulties in retrospectively determining the intent of a driver in a vehicle crash, and the nonrecording of, or lack of separate coding for murder-suicides on registers, make determination of the incidence of these types of events extremely difficult. It may be that this is a subcategory of murder-suicide that is underdiagnosed and so is not being registered on central motor vehicle crash databases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roger W Byard
- School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia.,Forensic Science SA, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Siobhan O'Donovan
- School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Corinna van den Huevel
- School of Medicine, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
| | - Matthew Baldock
- Centre for Automotive Safety Research, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005, Australia
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De Koning E, Piette MHA. A retrospective study of murder-suicide at the Forensic Institute of Ghent University, Belgium: 1935-2010. MEDICINE, SCIENCE, AND THE LAW 2014; 54:88-98. [PMID: 24429340 DOI: 10.1177/0025802413518018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Murder followed by suicide (M-S) is a rare phenomenon that has been studied in several countries. Previous studies show that offenders of M-S are predominately men who live in an intimate relationship. Amorous jealousy is often the trigger to commit M-S. Shooting is the most common way to kill a partner and/or children. In general, women are likely to become victims. The aim of this study was to identify M-S and detect patterns of M-S in the district of Ghent and the surrounding areas, since no research on this event was conducted in Belgium. Over a period of 75 years, a total of 80 M-S incidents was recorded involving 176 individuals. Eighty-six percent of the offenders were males and 14% were females. Murder-suicides were mostly completed with firearms. The main motive for offenders to execute M-S is amorous jealousy (56%), followed by familial, financial, or social stressors (27%). In addition, three types of M-S were selected (e.g., spousal murder-suicides, filicide-suicides, and familicides-suicides). Our results suggest differences in these types of M-S in which younger couples' intentions were amorous jealousy; as for older couples the prominent motive was mercy killing; most likely women killed their children and only men committed familicides. Finally a study of the evolution during this period was carried out.
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Adinkrah M. Homicide-suicide in Ghana: perpetrators, victims, and incidence characteristics. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2014; 58:364-387. [PMID: 23267240 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x12470530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Homicide-suicide in the industrialized West has been studied for many years. Yet, only limited scholarly research currently exists on the subject in Africa and other non-Western societies. The aim of the present descriptive study was to investigate homicide-suicides in contemporary Ghana. A content analysis of homicide-suicide reports in a major Ghanaian daily newspaper during 1990 to 2009 was conducted. The results overwhelmingly support findings in the literature, suggesting that homicide-suicides are extremely rare events in Ghana. The overwhelming majority of reported homicide-suicides were committed by males, with females substantially more likely to be the homicide victims. The offenders and victims were generally of low socioeconomic status. Most homicide-suicides involved victims and offenders who were intimately acquainted as family members. The majority of cases involved men who killed their wives on suspicion of infidelity; the next largest category involved men who murdered wives who threatened divorce or separation. The principal homicide and suicide methods were shooting with firearms, hacking with machetes, and stabbing with knives. The findings of the study are discussed in relation to Ghana's patriarchal family system and ideology and present socioeconomic issues in the country. This study recommends further research on this subject in Ghana and other African countries. This is necessary to further an understanding of homicide-suicide as a phenomenon, as well as a necessary prelude to the development and implementation of effective preventive programs.
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Merzagora I, Travaini G, Battistini A, Pleuteri L. Murder-suicide in the province of Milan, Italy: criminological analysis of cases 1990-2009. MEDICINE, SCIENCE, AND THE LAW 2011; 51:87-92. [PMID: 21793470 DOI: 10.1258/msl.2010.010086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Murder-suicide is a relatively rare event, and familicide is rarer still. However, it is certainly not unknown, and has been described in the scientific literature from both a socio-criminological and pathological-forensic perspective since the last century. In a civilized urban area such as Milan and province, where there is a general reduction in the homicide rate, homicide-suicide occurs almost exclusively within the family, and has specific features that differentiate it from other types of homicide, whether connected with general criminality or organized crime. This article analyses the quantitative and qualitative features of cases of homicide-suicide occurring in Milan and province between 1990 and 2009 (20 years), considering temporal aspects and the development of the events, the weapons used, and the epidemiological and psychopathological features of the perpetrators and their victims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella Merzagora
- Sezione di Medicina Legale, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
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Fishbain DA, Bruns D, Lewis JE, Disorbio JM, Gao J, Meyer LJ. Predictors of Homicide–Suicide Affirmation in Acute and Chronic Pain Patients. PAIN MEDICINE 2011; 12:127-37. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1526-4637.2010.01013.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Galta K, Olsen SL, Wik G. Murder followed by suicide: Norwegian data and international literature. Nord J Psychiatry 2010; 64:397-401. [PMID: 20380549 DOI: 10.3109/08039481003759201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Scandinavia, the knowledge base for murder-suicides is uneven, and there has been no statistics in criminal records. METHOD We collected data from criminal registers in Norway from 1990 to 2007, and seek to compare this with international literature from the last 50 years. RESULTS Over 90% of murder-suicide perpetrators are males and 80% of their victims are females. A vast majority of perpetrators are, or have been, intimate partners with their victim. The woman has often indicated an intention to break up from the relationship before the homicide. Compared with isolated homicides, the ages of both the perpetrator and victim are higher; most perpetrators use firearms, and tend to be less socially marginalized. Psychiatric instability is often a background factor, but should be seen in view of longstanding personal conflicts and threat of or loss of family, employment or social reputation. Norwegian statistics show that one in four murderers who have killed a near acquaintance also will commit suicide. CONCLUSIONS Increased knowledge is essential to prevent further tragedies of murder-suicide. Scrutinizing the taboo surrounding the topic will probably lead to improved awareness. We suggest that a connection should be made between the homicide(s) and the suicide in criminal registers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Galta
- Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen, NO-5020 Bergen, Norway.
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Byard RW, Veldhoen D, Kobus H, Heath K. “Murder-Suicide” or “Murder-Accident”? Difficulties with the Analysis of Cases. J Forensic Sci 2010; 55:1375-7. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2010.01407.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Palermo GB. Parricide: a crime against nature. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2010; 54:3-5. [PMID: 20086197 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x09353021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
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Dogan KH, Demirci S, Gunaydin G, Buken B. Homicide-Suicide in Konya, Turkey Between 2000 and 2007. J Forensic Sci 2010; 55:110-5. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01239.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Palermo GB. The ubiquity of murder-suicide. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OFFENDER THERAPY AND COMPARATIVE CRIMINOLOGY 2009; 53:495-496. [PMID: 19729581 DOI: 10.1177/0306624x09345125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
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Comstock RD, Mallonee S, Kruger E, Rayno K, Vance A, Jordan F. Epidemiology of Homicide-Suicide Events. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 2005; 26:229-35. [PMID: 16121077 DOI: 10.1097/01.paf.0000160681.40587.d3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
In Oklahoma, all nonnatural deaths must be reported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner (ME), whose trained investigators report cause of death using a centralized, statewide, standardized reporting system. The purpose of this study was to determine temporal trends of Oklahoma homicide-suicide events and characterize the epidemiology of these events. By reviewing all ME reports of homicides and suicides from 1994 through 2001, we identified 73 homicide-suicide events resulting in 73 suicides and 89 homicides. Suicidal perpetrators of homicide-suicide events were most often white men aged >or=30 years who killed a current or ex-spouse or intimate partner. Homicide victims tended to be younger women the same race as their killer. Firearms were the predominant method of death in both homicides and suicides, with handguns used most frequently. Divorce/estrangement was the main contributing factor to these events, and the most common relationship type was possessive. The existence of a statewide, centralized, and computerized ME system and the ability to access the detailed information in the ME narratives were critical to identifying homicide-suicide events and obtaining the type of detailed information necessary to fully investigate these events.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Dawn Comstock
- Oklahoma State Department of Health, Injury Prevention Service, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
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Pritchard C, King E. Differential suicide rates in typologies of child sex offenders in a 6-year consecutive cohort of male suicides. Arch Suicide Res 2005; 9:35-43. [PMID: 16040578 DOI: 10.1080/13811110590512903] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Earlier research identified 3 typologies of Child Sex Offenders [CSO] with high rates of suicide. To test this finding suicide rates of 3 types of CSO were compared in a 6-year cohort of regional suicides. All male suicides were identified from Coroners" inquest files and CSO data drawn from police records to calculate CSO suicide rates. The results show that suicide in "Multi-criminal" CSO is 12 times higher than the general population but not statistically significantly. Two significant results were "Sex Only" CSO suicides were 183 times the general population and 15 times the Multi-criminal CSO rates, with no suicides amongst the Violent CSO's. Implications for suicide prevention and child protection are presented.
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Abstract
This study provides the first systematic research of homicide-suicide (HS) in a Chinese society. Data were drawn from the HK Homicide Monitoring Data-base computer file derived from investigation and death reports held by the HK Police Force and the Coroner's Court. During the 10-year study period, 56 events involving 133 deaths were identified. The majority of offenders were males (75%) and most victims were female (64%). The mean age of offenders and victims were 41.9 and 32.3 years, respectively. Spouses and lovers comprised the majority of victims (46.4%) followed by child victims (36%). Most HS events were motivated by separation or termination of marital or sexual relations (39%), economic reasons (25%) and other domestic disputes (20%). The most frequent modes of killing were strangulation/suffocation (26%), stabbing/chopping (24%), followed by gassing/poisoning (14%) and falling from height (14%). The commonest of suicide was falling from height (48%). It was followed by gassing/poisoning (22%) and strangulation/suffocation (13%). Depression (18.3%) was found to be the commonest mental disorder. Most offenders were from low-socio-economic background. Two-third were unemployed and 76.6% had 9 or less years of education. HS in HK were distinguished from those reported in the western literature in respect to the high relevance of economic factors, the absence of mercy killing between old couples, a higher percentage of pedicide-suicides and the infrequent use of firearms.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Y Chan
- Centre for Criminology, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, PR China
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Abstract
This study provides the first systematic research of homicide-suicide (HS) in a Chinese society. Data were drawn from the HK Homicide Monitoring Data-base computer file derived from investigation and death reports held by the HK Police Force and the Coroner's Court. During the 10-year study period, 56 events involving 133 deaths were identified. The majority of offenders were males (75%) and most victims were female (64%). The mean age of offenders and victims were 41.9 and 32.3 years, respectively. Spouses and lovers comprised the majority of victims (46.4%) followed by child victims (36%). Most HS events were motivated by separation or termination of marital or sexual relations (39%), economic reasons (25%) and other domestic disputes (20%). The most frequent modes of killing were strangulation/suffocation (26%), stabbing/chopping (24%), followed by gassing/poisoning (14%) and falling from a height (14%). The commonest method of suicide was falling from a height (48%). It was followed by gassing/poisoning (22%) and strangulation/suffocation (13%). Depression (18.3%) was found to be the commonest mental disorder. Most offenders were from low-socio-economic background. Two-third were unemployed and 76.6% had 9 or less years of education. HS in HK were distinguished from those reported in the western literature in respect to the high relevance of economic factors, the absence of mercy killing between old couples, a higher percentage of pedicide-suicides and the infrequent use of firearms.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Y Chan
- Centre for Criminology, University of Hong Kong, Room 1213 KK Leung Building, Pokfulam, PR China
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to identify the number and subtypes of homicide-suicides in the United States by age group and state over a 3-year period from 1997 through 1999. A total of 673 homicide-suicides, including 674 perpetrators and 779 victims, were identified from Internet searches of 191 national newspapers, and they were classified according to a modified Hanzlick-Koponen typology. One quarter of the homicide-suicides were perpetrated by persons 55 years or older, and 77% were spousal/consortial, higher than the 57% observed in the younger age group; 11% of the older homicide-suicides were familial, compared with 16% in the younger age group. Whereas only 3% of older homicide-suicides were infanticide/pedicide, 16% of the younger homicide-suicides involved parents killing their children. Forty-five states, including the District of Columbia, reported a homicide-suicide during the 3-year period, and they occurred most frequently in Florida (163), California (98), Texas (36), and New York (35). Newspaper surveillance is useful to identify where homicide-suicides are occurring most frequently, but they are underestimates of the true prevalence. However, the number of incidents detected is large enough that the cases detected may be a fairly representative sample.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie E Malphurs
- Department of Aging and Mental Health, University of South Florida, Tampa 33612, USA
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A Comparison of Antecedents of Homicide–Suicide and Suicide in Older Married Men. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY 2001. [DOI: 10.1097/00019442-200102000-00008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Abstract
Review was undertaken from February 1969 to January 1998 at the State forensic science center (Forensic Science) in Adelaide, South Australia, of all cases of murder-suicide involving children <16 years of age. A total of 13 separate cases were identified involving 30 victims, all of whom were related to the perpetrators. There were 7 male and 6 female perpetrators (age range, 23-41 years; average, 31 years) consisting of 6 mothers, 6 father/husbands, and 1 uncle/son-in-law. The 30 victims consisted of 11 daughters, 11 sons, 1 niece, 1 mother-in-law, and 6 wives of the assailants. The 23 children were aged from 10 months to 15 years (average, 6.0 years). The 6 mothers murdered 9 children and no spouses, with 3 child survivors. The 6 fathers murdered 13 children and 6 wives, with 1 child survivor. This study has demonstrated a higher percentage of female perpetrators than other studies of murder-suicide. The methods of homicide and suicide used were generally less violent among the female perpetrators compared with male perpetrators. Fathers killed not only their children but also their wives, whereas mothers murdered only their children. These results suggest differences between murder-suicides that involve children and adult-only cases, and between cases in which the mother rather than the father is the perpetrator.
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Affiliation(s)
- R W Byard
- Forensic Science, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
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27
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Torres AR, Ramos-Cerqueira ATDA, Dias RDS. O ciúme enquanto sintoma do transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo. BRAZILIAN JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRY 1999. [DOI: 10.1590/s1516-44461999000300008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
O ciúme patológico (CP) é um problema importante para a psiquiatria, que envolve riscos e muito sofrimento, podendo ocorrer em diversos transtornos mentais. Psicopatologicamente pode se apresentar de formas distintas, tais como idéias obsessivas, prevalentes ou delirantes sobre infidelidade. Entretanto, sua apresentação no transtorno obsessivo-compulsivo (TOC), como uma obsessão em geral associada a rituais de verificação, é relativamente pouco documentada. Para discutir esse aspecto específico do CP, este trabalho é ilustrado com quatro casos clínicos selecionados, em que o CP tem tais características, abordando aspectos de diagnóstico e tratamento. A compreensão de alguns casos de CP como uma manifestação do TOC, mesmo quando não claramente egodistônica, amplia as possibilidades terapêuticas e pode melhorar o prognóstico.
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