Problem 2 Flashcards
Are there gender differences in filicide ?
Yes,
- Women are significantly more likely to have been mentally ill at the time of the offense
- More women commit filicide and are also younger than men
- Filicidal fathers are more violent when committing it
- Filicidal fathers usually do it as a result of parenting stress, depression, heavy alcohol and drug use
There is an overrepresentation of mental illness in filicide.
Name the 2 most common MD diagnoses.
- Affective disorders
- Personality disorders
–> NOT psychosis
Familicide
Refers to the killing of the whole family
–> children + spouse
What are the most prominent factors that filicide perpetrators had in common?
- Most had no prior psychiatric history thus no mental illness
- 1/4 of maternal perpetrators were teenagers at the victims birth
- Stepfathers are more likely to kill preschool children and infants
- 80% of these perpetrators were biological parents
Neonaticide
Refers to the killing of an infant in the first 24h of life
Neonaticide is committed the most by … ?
… Primarily young, unmarried women, free of major psychiatric disorders, who had unwanted pregnancies.
How can neonaticide be prevented ?
1. Sex education
2. Access to contraception
3. Safe environment to discuss sexual issues
–> these could decrease unwanted pregnancies and in turn neonaticide
Safe haven law
Refer to laws in the US that decriminalize the leaving of unharmed infants with statutorily designated private persons so that the child becomes a ward of the state
e.g.: hospitals, police stations etc
Do all women who commit neonaticide fit the pattern of - unmarried - single - teenager mother?
Or are there also other factors that might lead to neonaticide ?
There is also a high incidence of pregnancy
1. denial
2. concealment
3. lack of prenatal care
–> accused report amnesia surrounding the murder
e.g. malinger or sometimes dissociative experience
Short-term effects/consequences of child abuse?
- PTSD
- Anxiety/fear
- Intrusive thought
- Low self esteem
- Sleep disorders
Long term effects/consequences of child abuse?
- Impaired sexual functioning
- Low self esteem
- Vulnerability to repeated victimization
- Depression
- Guilt/self-blame
- Substance abuse
Even after identifying the filicide attempts, abused children do provide only very little information with respect to the incident.
Think of reasons for which this may be.
- Because they couldn’t differentiate the filicide attempt from others, as they have already suffered multiple
- They may have suffered from high levels of stress during the encoding, storage and retrieval phases
- Afraid of the consequences, what will happen to their families, including the perpetrators
What is the difference between infanticide and filicide ?
Infanticide is the killing of a child younger than 12 months
–> filicide is the killing of just a child
Altruistic filicide
Is committed with the motive of relieving the child of real or most often imaginary suffering
–> usually involves a suicide attempt by the parent
What are the most common/dominant motives for maternal filicide?
1. Altruistic
–> misguided love
2. Acutely psychotic
3. Social stigmas, thus shame
4. Fear of rejection/abandonment by significant others