Examining Depression Among Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Homicide. 2021

Polly Cheng, and Peter Jaffe
McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Male depression has been recognized as an important factor in some cases of intimate partner violence but there is a paucity of literature connecting depression and intimate partner homicide (IPH). This retrospective study provides a preliminary analysis that distinguished depressed from nondepressed perpetrators of IPH from a sample of 135 cases analyzed by a coroner's homicide death review committee in Ontario, Canada. Depressed perpetrators were more likely to commit homicide-suicide and had almost 1.5 times the number of risk factors present than nondepressed perpetrators. Consistent with the existing literature, the results indicated that depressed perpetrators were significantly older, more likely to commit homicide-suicide than homicide only, more likely to have prior threats or attempts of suicide, more likely to have been abused or witnessed domestic violence as a child than nondepressed perpetrators and more likely to exhibit sexual jealousy. The implications for these findings are outlined in terms of training of mental health professionals and public awareness about the potential lethality of domestic violence.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009864 Ontario A province of Canada lying between the provinces of Manitoba and Quebec. Its capital is Toronto. It takes its name from Lake Ontario which is said to represent the Iroquois oniatariio, beautiful lake. (From Webster's New Geographical Dictionary, 1988, p892 & Room, Brewer's Dictionary of Names, 1992, p391)
D002648 Child A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL. Children
D003863 Depression Depressive states usually of moderate intensity in contrast with MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER present in neurotic and psychotic disorders. Depressive Symptoms,Emotional Depression,Depression, Emotional,Depressive Symptom,Symptom, Depressive
D006708 Homicide The killing of one person by another. Murder,Killing,Wrongful Death,Death, Wrongful,Deaths, Wrongful,Homicides,Killings,Murders,Wrongful Deaths
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000066511 Intimate Partner Violence A pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior by an individual against their partner or spouse that may include physical injury, psychological abuse, sexual assault, progressive isolation, stalking, deprivation, intimidation, and reproductive coercion. Dating Violence,Intimate Partner Abuse,Abuse, Intimate Partner,Partner Abuse, Intimate,Partner Violence, Intimate,Violence, Dating,Violence, Intimate Partner
D012189 Retrospective Studies Studies used to test etiologic hypotheses in which inferences about an exposure to putative causal factors are derived from data relating to characteristics of persons under study or to events or experiences in their past. The essential feature is that some of the persons under study have the disease or outcome of interest and their characteristics are compared with those of unaffected persons. Retrospective Study,Studies, Retrospective,Study, Retrospective

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