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Citation |
West SG, Friedman SH, Resnick PJ. J. Forensic Sci. 2009; 54(2): 463-468. |
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Affiliation |
Department of Psychiatry, University Hospitals/Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2009, American Society for Testing and Materials, Publisher John Wiley and Sons) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
19187457 |
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Abstract |
Roughly half of filicidal acts are committed by fathers, though the majority of the literature focuses on maternal filicide. This paper reviews the existing literature on paternal filicide with the goal of identifying characteristics common among these fathers. Fathers who killed their children were, on average, in their mid thirties. The mean age of their victims was five. They may have multiple victims. Sons and daughters were killed in equal numbers. Reasons included death related to abuse, mental illness (including psychosis and depression), and revenge against a spouse. The method often involved wounding violence. Suicide following the act occurred frequently. After being tried for their crimes, filicidal fathers were more frequently incarcerated than hospitalized. Given the range of those capable of this act, mental health professionals must be alert to the possibility of filicide in a variety of fathers. Considering this risk, clinicians should inquire about thoughts of harming children, partners, and themselves. Language: en |