Citation

Podlogar MC, Gai AR, Schneider M, Hagan CR, Joiner TE. J. Aggress. Confl. Peace Res. 2018; 10(3): 223-234.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Emerald Group Publishing)

DOI

10.1108/JACPR-08-2017-0309

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

PURPOSE: The phenomenon of murder-suicide (aka. homicide-suicide) makes a sizeable impact on current public perceptions and policies regarding mental illness and risk for violence. However, within the past 25 years, our understanding of murder-suicide has remained relatively stable, and so has our relative inability to reliably predict and prevent it. The purpose of this paper is to propose pathways for furthering a cogent understanding of murder-suicide that may inform specific predictive and preventative practices.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Research literature regarding empirical and theoretical positions in the fields of murder-suicide, homicide, and suicide are reviewed and discussed.

FINDINGS: While murder-suicide has many similarities to both homicide and suicide, no current theories of either alone have been successful in fully incorporating the phenomenon of murder-suicide. Theories specific to murder-suicide as a unique form of violence are in need of further research.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Developing and empirically testing theories of murder-suicide may lead to a vast and needed improvement of our understanding, prediction, and prevention of these tragedies. © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited.

Language: en

Keywords

Homicide-suicide; Dyadic death; Murder-suicide; Suicide attack; Mass shooting; Extended-suicide