NCJ Number
224117
Journal
American Journal of Epidemiology Volume: 168 Issue: 6 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 1-9
Date Published
September 2008
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study described perpetrators across a full range of homicide-suicide incidents that occurred within a multistate, population-based surveillance system.
Abstract
This study found that similar to previous research, most homicide-suicide incidents were perpetrated by White males in middle to late adulthood. Also consistent with previous research, this study found that most homicide-suicide incidents were committed with a firearm, the majority of victims were either current or former intimate partners, and a substantial number of victims were children. Also found was that having a history of intimate partner conflict was highly common among most homicide-suicide perpetrators, even those who did not victimize their intimate partners in the homicide-suicide incident (extrafamilial homicide-suicide and filicide-suicide incidents). Results suggest that homicide perpetration, particularly by males, is mostly preceded by intimate partner conflicts/violence as opposed to other determinants of suicidal behavior. Other results discussed include: demographics of homicide-suicide perpetrators, circumstances surrounding incidents, and reducing intimate partner violence through effective strategies. The fact that many perpetrators were involved in family legal court cases at the time of the incident also highlights the importance of reducing fragmentation between the court/legal system and the mental health system. Data were collected from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), and incident-based, violent death surveillance system that combines data from multiple sources; as of 2008, 17 States provided statewide information on suicides, homicides, legal intervention deaths, unintentional firearms deaths, and deaths for which the manner was undetermined. Tables, references