title: Intra- and extra-familial child homicide in Sweden 1992-2012: A population-based study.
abstract: Previous studies have shown decreasing child homicide rates in many countries - in Sweden mainly due to a drop in filicide-suicides. This study examines the rate of child homicides during 21 years, with the hypothesis that a decline might be attributable to a decrease in the number of depressive filicide offenders (as defined by a proxy measure). In addition, numerous characteristics of child homicide are presented. All homicide incidents involving 0-14-year-old victims in Sweden during 1992-2012 (n = 90) were identified in an autopsy database. Data from multiple registries, forensic psychiatric evaluations, police reports, verdicts and other sources were collected. Utilizing Poisson regression, we found a 4% annual decrease in child homicides, in accordance with prior studies, but no marked decrease regarding the depressive-offender proxy. Diagnoses from forensic psychiatric evaluations (n = 50) included substance misuse (8%), affective disorders (10%), autism-spectrum disorders (18%), psychotic disorders (28%) and personality disorders (30%). Prior violent offences were more common among offenders in filicides than filicide-suicides (17.8% vs. 6.9%); and about 20% of offenders in each group had previously received psychiatric inpatient care. Aggressive methods of filicide predominated among fathers. Highly lethal methods of filicide (firearms, fire) were more commonly followed by same-method suicide than less lethal methods. Interestingly, a third of the extra-familial offenders had an autism-spectrum disorder. Based on several findings, e.g., the low rate of substance misuse, the study concludes that non-traditional risk factors for violence must be highlighted by healthcare providers. Also, the occurrence of autism-spectrum disorders in the present study is a novel finding that warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden. Electronic address: jonatan.hedlund@ki.se.
authors.forename: Jonatan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hedlund
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Masterman
authors.affiliation: National Board of Forensic Medicine, Department of Forensic Psychiatry, PO Box 4044, SE-141 04 Huddinge, Sweden; Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, SE-171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Stockholm University, Department of Criminology, Sweden.
authors.forename: Joakim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sturup
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Child homicide; Familicide; Filicide; Filicide–suicide; Infanticide; Neonaticide