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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The goal of this study by Heide was to investigate the connection between child abuse and neglect and adolescent parricide (parent-killing).
METHODOLOGY:
A non-experimental method was employed for this study. A review of findings in the literature concerning abuse and neglect was conducted. Additionally, the author conducted in-depth assessments of the case histories of seven adolescents who killed parents. Two were drawn from a previous study of parricide offenders, four were referred by defense counsel for pretrial evaluation, and one was referred by a state prosecutor for research purposes. All were white, ranged in age from 12-17, and six of the seven were male. Two had killed both parents, and all used firearms. Qualitative data analysis techniques were used to analyze the data.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author reported that six of the seven youths were severely abused and ended the life of the parent(s) to end the pain. Four of the youths demonstrated post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and dissociation around the crime. One youth was diagnosed as severely mentally ill and was excluded from the analysis of the abused parricide offenders. Physical abuse was a factor in the five father killings. The author stated that these cases often appeared to have been the result of father frustration with life and marital circumstances. Physical injury and the pervasiveness of the threat of physical injury were evident in these five cases. In at least four of the six parricide cases, there was evidence of spouse abuse and the witnessing of severe violence as well. In one of the five cases involving boys who killed parents, there was evidence of covert sexual abuse. In the case of the one girl included in the study, there was evidence of covert sexual abuse and rape by her father, the parricide victim. Verbal abuse was frequent in each of the six cases analyzed; verbal abuse included psychologically abusive words and behaviors. In addition to physical abuse, there was physical neglect in each of the six cases. Neglect included cases of failure to provide food and care, lack of adequate supervision, and a general lack of provision of safety from emotional and physical harm. One case included medical neglect; all six suffered emotional neglect, and three suffered emotional incest defined as emotional alignment of the parent with the child in a spouse-like fashion. In eleven adolescent parricide studies reviewed, eight were found to show evidence of child physical abuse and spouse abuse. Covert sexual abuse was found in ten, and some suggestion of overt sexual abuse was found in two studies with forcible rape present in one of those. Psychologically abusive behavior was found in nine studies, and verbally abusive behaviors were found in six studies. Five of the eleven studies found physical neglect, defined as denial of basic needs. Lack of protection from harm, physical or emotional, was suggested in four of the remaining studies. Five studies found emotional neglect, and emotional incest was clearly present in eight studies.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author argued that more research is needed to discover what differentiates severely abused adolescents who kill from those who do not. The author also advocated education about the parameters of abuse and neglect, including good parenting. Education, it was contended, also needs to be directed at children who would be more likely to go seek help. Media education was also called for to better inform the general public about the implications of child abuse.
EVALUATION:
This study offers yet another testimonial to the connection between child abuse and neglect and juvenile parricidal behavior. The policy/practice implications for intervention are clear; many of these were demonstrated by the author. However, this study is purely descriptive. The sample size of seven is not large enough from which to make generalizations. The eleven studies reviewed are also, primarily, case studies which suffer from similar problems. The literature desperately needs studies with comparison groups of abused children who have not killed, and nonabused children to help identify the mechanisms at work in the homicidal juvenile. This study underscores the need for more research in this area.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1980s
Case Studies
Child Abuse Victim
Child Abuse Effects
Child Abuse-Violence Link
Homicide Offender
Homicide Causes
Child Victim
Child Neglect Effects
Child Neglect Victim
Child Physical Abuse Victim
Child Physical Abuse Effects
Domestic Violence Effects
Domestic Violence Causes
Domestic Violence Offender
Domestic Violence Victim
Domestic Homicide
Parent Homicide
Juvenile Violence
Juvenile Victim
Juvenile Offender
Victim Turned Offender
Child Offender
Child Violence
Late Childhood
Late Adolescence
Early Adolescence
Victim Precipitated
08-03 |