Previous studies have shown
decreasing child homicide rates in many countries - in Sweden mainly due to a
drop in filicide-suicides. This study examines the rate of child homicides
during 21 years, with the hypothesis that a decline might be attributable to a
decrease in the number of depressive filicide offenders (as defined by a proxy
measure).
In addition, numerous characteristics of child homicide are
presented. All homicide incidents involving 0-14-year-old victims in Sweden
during 1992-2012 (n = 90) were identified in an autopsy database.
Data from multiple registries, forensic psychiatric evaluations, police
reports, verdicts and other sources were collected. Utilizing Poisson
regression, we found a 4% annual decrease in child homicides, in accordance
with prior studies, but no marked decrease regarding the depressive-offender
proxy.
Diagnoses from forensic psychiatric evaluations (n = 50)
included substance misuse (8%), affective disorders (10%), autism-spectrum
disorders (18%), psychotic disorders (28%) and personality disorders (30%).
Prior violent offences were more common among offenders in filicides than
filicide-suicides (17.8% vs. 6.9%); and about 20% of offenders in each group
had previously received psychiatric inpatient care.
Aggressive methods of
filicide predominated among fathers. Highly lethal methods of filicide
(firearms, fire) were more commonly followed by same-method suicide than less
lethal methods. Interestingly, a third of the extra-familial offenders had an
autism-spectrum disorder.
Based on several findings, e.g., the low rate of
substance misuse, the study concludes that non-traditional risk factors for
violence must be highlighted by healthcare providers. Also, the occurrence of
autism-spectrum disorders in the present study is a novel finding that warrants
further investigation.
Purchase full article at: http://goo.gl/ve7iIK
By:
- 1National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: jonatan.hedlund@ki.se.
- 2National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
- 3National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm University, Department of Criminology, Sweden.
- J Forensic Leg Med. 2016 Jan 25;39:91-99. doi: 10.1016/j.jflm.2016.01.011.
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