TY - JOUR
T1 - Children Who Witness Parental Murder
T2 - Posttraumatic Aspects
AU - MALMQUIST, CARL P.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2017 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1986
Y1 - 1986
N2 - In this paper the traumatic situation of children witnessing a parent being murdered is examined. The purposes are to (1) evaluate the psychiatric consequences of such a trauma, in terms of meeting diagnostic criteria, and (2) assess the impact on the affective and cognitive functioning of the child. Methodological complications are present in such rare events. When a parent is seriously wounded in an attempted murder but survives, the situation is dissimilar from a parental death; when a child is directly involved, such as being shot at, a key variable has changed; the response to the child may change the outcome; differences in family structure, and the clinical status of the perpetrator (e.g., was the person psychotic and for how long?) are all relevant. This study investigated 16 children between the ages of 5 and 10 who had witnessed a parental murder. The children were assessed clinically as well as by utilizing the Impact of Event Scale. Complex legal situations often arise when children are exposed to a parental homicide. The situations may involve participation in a criminal trial as well as civil issues involving mental distress. Both may demand the child's participation as a witness, beyond the initial traumatic event of witnessing a parent murdered.
AB - In this paper the traumatic situation of children witnessing a parent being murdered is examined. The purposes are to (1) evaluate the psychiatric consequences of such a trauma, in terms of meeting diagnostic criteria, and (2) assess the impact on the affective and cognitive functioning of the child. Methodological complications are present in such rare events. When a parent is seriously wounded in an attempted murder but survives, the situation is dissimilar from a parental death; when a child is directly involved, such as being shot at, a key variable has changed; the response to the child may change the outcome; differences in family structure, and the clinical status of the perpetrator (e.g., was the person psychotic and for how long?) are all relevant. This study investigated 16 children between the ages of 5 and 10 who had witnessed a parental murder. The children were assessed clinically as well as by utilizing the Impact of Event Scale. Complex legal situations often arise when children are exposed to a parental homicide. The situations may involve participation in a criminal trial as well as civil issues involving mental distress. Both may demand the child's participation as a witness, beyond the initial traumatic event of witnessing a parent murdered.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0002-7138(09)60253-3
DO - 10.1016/S0002-7138(09)60253-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0022477363
SN - 0002-7138
VL - 25
SP - 320
EP - 325
JO - Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry
JF - Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry
IS - 3
ER -