In April 2016 Manchester eScholar was replaced by the University of Manchester’s new Research Information Management System, Pure. In the autumn the University’s research outputs will be available to search and browse via a new Research Portal. Until then the University’s full publication record can be accessed via a temporary portal and the old eScholar content is available to search and browse via this archive.

A MIXED METHODS STUDY OF HOMICIDE FOLLOWED BY SUICIDE

Flynn, Sandra

[Thesis]. Manchester, UK: The University of Manchester; 2013.

Access to files

Abstract

Background Homicide-suicides are rare events in which an individual commits a homicide and then takes his or her own life. Despite extensive media coverage and a recent increase in research in this field, our understanding of these events is limited as most studies are descriptive. There is little reliable evidence regarding mental illness in individuals who commit homicide-suicide. Aims The central aim of this study was to examine the role of mental illness in cases of homicide-suicide. The objectives were to: (1) determine the prevalence of mental illness; (2) describe the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, and the circumstances of the offence; (3) examine the psychopathology of perpetrators prior to the offence.MethodThe research design was a mixed methods study of homicide-suicide. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to examine a national consecutive case series, in England and Wales, between 1st January 2006 and 31st December 2008. The sample contained 60 cases. Descriptive statistical analysis and a thematic framework analysis were undertaken on documents obtained from coroners, the police, GP medical records, records of mental health services contact and newspaper articles. The social, behavioural, offence and clinical characteristics of these incidents were reported.Results Most of these offences were committed by men (53, 88%). The average age of perpetrators was 44 years (range 18-85). The overwhelming majority of these incidents involved close family members, mainly current or former intimate partners and/or the children of the perpetrator. Over half of the perpetrators had previously been diagnosed with mental health problems by a GP, most commonly depression. The incident was, in most cases, preceded by an actual separation from an intimate partner, or the perpetrator perceived separation to be imminent. The emotional responses to the loss of the relationship included: anger; frustration; humiliation; jealousy; desire for revenge; hopelessness, guilt and remorse. Poor coping strategies were observed, with many having a history of previous self-harm or suicide attempts, and difficulty controlling their aggression. Despite the high proportion of lifetime mental illness, few had been in recent contact with their GP for psychological problems prior to the incident. In the majority of cases, incidents involving mentally ill perpetrators were reported responsibly in newspapers. However, there were instances in which journalists sensationalised the incidents and provided stereotypical portrayals of the perpetrator.Conclusion The findings from this study add valuable empirical qualitative data to the literature. These incidents occur in the context of existing and challenging common social issues, such as intimate partner violence, child custody disputes, an ageing population, and mental disorder. The evidence from this study shows that these perpetrators had an extreme reaction to an interpersonal crisis resulting in severe emotional distress. Perpetrators from vulnerable groups had complex needs and exhibited previous poor coping strategies that may put them at increased risk. However, prevention is difficult as these are rare events and though under distress, these individuals were less likely to seek help from services. More research is required to identify risk factors in targeted sub-groups of homicide-suicide, such as intimate partner, filicide-suicide and elderly homicide-suicide, in the context of social, economic and clinical problems.

Layman's Abstract

Background Homicide-suicides are rare events in which an individual commits a homicide and then takes his or her own life. These incidents receive extensive media coverage, yet our understanding of the circumstances leading to these offences is limited. A number of previous researchers have reported an association between homicide-suicide and mental illness, particularly depression. However, the evidence is unreliable and shows a wide variation in the proportion of perpetrators with mental illness, which is largely caused by the different research designs used.Why was this study done? This study was undertaken to examine the role of mental illness in homicide-suicide on a national sample of cases. The main objectives were to: (1) determine the prevalence of mental illness; (2) describe the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, and the circumstances of the offence; (3) examine the mental health of perpetrators prior to the offence.What did the researchers do and find? In order to achieve this, a mixed method study was undertaken, which examined information from a number of different sources. Official documents relating to the incident were obtained from coroner’s offices, police forces, newspaper reports and GP medical records. The findings show that the majority of homicide-suicides are committed by men (53, 88%). The average age of perpetrators was 44. The victims were most commonly an intimate partner, or the perpetrators own child. Most of the incidents occur following a marital separation or relationship breakdown. The emotional responses to the loss of the relationship included: anger; frustration; humiliation; jealousy; desire for revenge; hopelessness, guilt and remorse. Many had experienced previous difficulties in coping with similar adversities, and had been shown to have a history of self-harm, suicide attempts, or difficulty controlling their aggression. Over half of the perpetrators had a lifetime history of mental illness, but few had sought help from their GP for psychological problems prior to the incident. In the majority of cases, incidents involving mentally ill perpetrators were reported responsibly in newspapers. However, there were instances in which journalists sensationalised these cases and provided stereotypical portrayals of the perpetrator.What do these findings mean? The findings of the study show that these incidents occur in the context of existing and challenging common social problems, such as intimate partner violence, child custody disputes, an ageing population, and mental disorder. The evidence from this study shows these perpetrators had an extreme reaction to an interpersonal crisis creating severe emotional distress. Perpetrators from vulnerable groups had complex needs and exhibited previous poor coping strategies, which may put them at increased risk. However, prevention is difficult as these are rare events and though under distress, these individuals were less likely to seek help from services. More research is required to identify risk factors in targeted sub-groups such as homicide-suicides between intimate partners, or those in which the victims are children or the elderly.

Bibliographic metadata

Type of resource:
Content type:
Form of thesis:
Type of submission:
Degree programme:
PhD Medicine (Brain, Behaviour, Mental Health)
Publication date:
Location:
Manchester, UK
Total pages:
280
Abstract:
Background Homicide-suicides are rare events in which an individual commits a homicide and then takes his or her own life. Despite extensive media coverage and a recent increase in research in this field, our understanding of these events is limited as most studies are descriptive. There is little reliable evidence regarding mental illness in individuals who commit homicide-suicide. Aims The central aim of this study was to examine the role of mental illness in cases of homicide-suicide. The objectives were to: (1) determine the prevalence of mental illness; (2) describe the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, and the circumstances of the offence; (3) examine the psychopathology of perpetrators prior to the offence.MethodThe research design was a mixed methods study of homicide-suicide. Quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to examine a national consecutive case series, in England and Wales, between 1st January 2006 and 31st December 2008. The sample contained 60 cases. Descriptive statistical analysis and a thematic framework analysis were undertaken on documents obtained from coroners, the police, GP medical records, records of mental health services contact and newspaper articles. The social, behavioural, offence and clinical characteristics of these incidents were reported.Results Most of these offences were committed by men (53, 88%). The average age of perpetrators was 44 years (range 18-85). The overwhelming majority of these incidents involved close family members, mainly current or former intimate partners and/or the children of the perpetrator. Over half of the perpetrators had previously been diagnosed with mental health problems by a GP, most commonly depression. The incident was, in most cases, preceded by an actual separation from an intimate partner, or the perpetrator perceived separation to be imminent. The emotional responses to the loss of the relationship included: anger; frustration; humiliation; jealousy; desire for revenge; hopelessness, guilt and remorse. Poor coping strategies were observed, with many having a history of previous self-harm or suicide attempts, and difficulty controlling their aggression. Despite the high proportion of lifetime mental illness, few had been in recent contact with their GP for psychological problems prior to the incident. In the majority of cases, incidents involving mentally ill perpetrators were reported responsibly in newspapers. However, there were instances in which journalists sensationalised the incidents and provided stereotypical portrayals of the perpetrator.Conclusion The findings from this study add valuable empirical qualitative data to the literature. These incidents occur in the context of existing and challenging common social issues, such as intimate partner violence, child custody disputes, an ageing population, and mental disorder. The evidence from this study shows that these perpetrators had an extreme reaction to an interpersonal crisis resulting in severe emotional distress. Perpetrators from vulnerable groups had complex needs and exhibited previous poor coping strategies that may put them at increased risk. However, prevention is difficult as these are rare events and though under distress, these individuals were less likely to seek help from services. More research is required to identify risk factors in targeted sub-groups of homicide-suicide, such as intimate partner, filicide-suicide and elderly homicide-suicide, in the context of social, economic and clinical problems.
Layman's abstract:
Background Homicide-suicides are rare events in which an individual commits a homicide and then takes his or her own life. These incidents receive extensive media coverage, yet our understanding of the circumstances leading to these offences is limited. A number of previous researchers have reported an association between homicide-suicide and mental illness, particularly depression. However, the evidence is unreliable and shows a wide variation in the proportion of perpetrators with mental illness, which is largely caused by the different research designs used.Why was this study done? This study was undertaken to examine the role of mental illness in homicide-suicide on a national sample of cases. The main objectives were to: (1) determine the prevalence of mental illness; (2) describe the characteristics of perpetrators and victims, and the circumstances of the offence; (3) examine the mental health of perpetrators prior to the offence.What did the researchers do and find? In order to achieve this, a mixed method study was undertaken, which examined information from a number of different sources. Official documents relating to the incident were obtained from coroner’s offices, police forces, newspaper reports and GP medical records. The findings show that the majority of homicide-suicides are committed by men (53, 88%). The average age of perpetrators was 44. The victims were most commonly an intimate partner, or the perpetrators own child. Most of the incidents occur following a marital separation or relationship breakdown. The emotional responses to the loss of the relationship included: anger; frustration; humiliation; jealousy; desire for revenge; hopelessness, guilt and remorse. Many had experienced previous difficulties in coping with similar adversities, and had been shown to have a history of self-harm, suicide attempts, or difficulty controlling their aggression. Over half of the perpetrators had a lifetime history of mental illness, but few had sought help from their GP for psychological problems prior to the incident. In the majority of cases, incidents involving mentally ill perpetrators were reported responsibly in newspapers. However, there were instances in which journalists sensationalised these cases and provided stereotypical portrayals of the perpetrator.What do these findings mean? The findings of the study show that these incidents occur in the context of existing and challenging common social problems, such as intimate partner violence, child custody disputes, an ageing population, and mental disorder. The evidence from this study shows these perpetrators had an extreme reaction to an interpersonal crisis creating severe emotional distress. Perpetrators from vulnerable groups had complex needs and exhibited previous poor coping strategies, which may put them at increased risk. However, prevention is difficult as these are rare events and though under distress, these individuals were less likely to seek help from services. More research is required to identify risk factors in targeted sub-groups such as homicide-suicides between intimate partners, or those in which the victims are children or the elderly.
Thesis main supervisor(s):
Thesis co-supervisor(s):
Thesis advisor(s):
Language:
en

Institutional metadata

University researcher(s):

Record metadata

Manchester eScholar ID:
uk-ac-man-scw:198287
Created by:
Flynn, Sandra
Created:
17th June, 2013, 15:13:39
Last modified by:
Flynn, Sandra
Last modified:
25th July, 2013, 10:19:05

Can we help?

The library chat service will be available from 11am-3pm Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). You can also email your enquiry to us.