A Comparison of Antecedents of Homicide–Suicide and Suicide in Older Married Men

In the Name of Love or Hatred: a Systematic Comparison Between Filicide-Suicide and Mariticide/Uxoricide-Suicide in Hong Kong

While much of work on homicide-suicide (HS) arises out of the USA and the UK, there is a paucity of research on HS outside of the Anglo-American sphere. This paper investigates HS in Hong Kong (HK), comparing the subtypes of filicide-suicide (FS) and mariticide/uxoricide-suicide (MUS) in that context as a means of testing the generalizability of past studies. Data from the HK Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government and the HK Police Force reports retrieved 156 cases from 2000 to 2019. In that timeframe, HS resulted in 261 deaths, with MUS being the most prevalent type of HS. Male offenders and female victims are more commonly seen. Offenders are generally older than their victims, and over half of offenders are married. FS and MUS display distinct characteristics in terms of offender and victim demographics, relationship dynamics, motives, and mode of killing. Depressed mothers tend to victimize their sons in FS as a means of saving their sons from a perceived miserable future, whereas male offenders aggress upon their female partners in MUS to alleviate their own frustrations, subsequently dying by suicide out of sorrow or a fear of consequence. MUS offenders are more hostile towards their victims and tend to kill with aggressive means, whereas FS offenders are more likely to kill with altruistic motives and with minimal force. These results match patterns of MUS and FS in the Anglo-American sphere, but with some important differences in terms of the use of guns and the presence of altruistic killing.

Homicide-suicide across the lifespan: a mixed methods examination of factors contributing to older adult perpetration

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study is to determine how individual and contextual factors that contribute to homicide-suicide (HS) differ between young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults, and to describe, in detail, the circumstances that lead to HS by older adults.

METHODS

Data were obtained from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Violent Death Reporting System. We used a sequential mixed methods approach to the analysis. Guided by the Marzuk HS framework, we conducted quantitative analyses to identify characteristics distinguishing older adult HS perpetrators from younger HS perpetrators. These results guided the qualitative content analysis, which further described the circumstances surrounding HS incidents perpetrated by older adults.

RESULTS

While HS perpetrated by young and middle-aged adults were quite similar, the demographic characteristics, victim-perpetrator relationship, and contributing factors in HS incidents perpetrated by older adults were substantially different. Mental health and depressed mood were more common among older adult perpetrators, and jealousy, fights, and substance use issues were less common, relative to younger perpetrators. Escalating intimate partner violence and caregiving/health-related issues, including caregiving strain, housing transitions, and financial problems, were the primary contributors to older adult HS.

CONCLUSION

HS perpetrated by older adults was both similar and different from incidents perpetrated by younger adults. Programs that prevent or de-escalate intimate partner violence would likely prevent many HS incidents perpetrated by older adults, but health and aging-related issues must also be considered.