Parricide: Characteristics of sons and daughters who kill their parents
Schizophrenia, difficult relationships are common among adult perpetrators
In a 1970 Japanese study of 21 women who killed parents or in-laws, half of the victims were mothers-in-law, but none were biological mothers.19 According to the authors, this finding suggests that relationships between Japanese women and their mothers-in-law often are particularly contentious; however, no research has examined this theory in the United States.
Matricide by daughters. In the d’Orban and O’Connor study,9 >80% of women who committed parricide killed their mothers. In general, the daughters were described as being “in mid-life, living alone with an elderly, domineering mother in marked social isolation.” The parent-child relationship was “characterized by mutual hostility and dependence.” Seventy-five percent of the daughters suffered from psychotic illness. Extreme violence often was used.
Patricide by daughters. Of the 3 women who killed their fathers in d’Orban and O’Connor’s study,9 none were psychotic. Furthermore, 2 women had no psychiatric diagnosis—the third had antisocial personality disorder—and “killed tyrannical fathers in response to prolonged parental violence.” One woman reported that she was forced into a long-term incestuous relationship before killing her father. The women who killed their fathers were younger (mean age 21.3) than those who killed their mothers (mean age 39.5).
Table 2
Daughters who kill their parents: Strained relationships
| Daughters who kill their mothers | Daughters who kill their fathers |
|---|---|
Daughters:
| Daughters:
|
Mothers:
| Fathers:
|
Crime:
| |
| Source: Reference 9 | |
Other perpetrators and victims
Patricide is most often committed by adults20; however, some important conclusions can be drawn regarding juveniles who kill their parents (Table 3).21-27 The most common scenario is of adolescent boys who have no history of psychosis and kill their fathers in a burst of rage brought on by ongoing abuse from parents. These murders typically are followed by feelings of relief rather than remorse.21-27
Stepparents often have a more challenging relationship with children than biological parents.28 Research indicates that stepparents are more likely than biological parents to be killed by juvenile offenders.29 Also, stepparent victims tended to be younger than biological parent victims.29
Table 3
Characteristics of juveniles who kill their parents or stepparents
| Often teenage boys |
| Generally lack history of psychosis |
| Actions often are spontaneous |
| Motivated by long-term parental abuse |
| Often feel relief rather than remorse after the crime |
| More likely to kill stepparents than biological parents |
| Source: References 21-27 |
Clinical applications
Ask adult schizophrenia patients living with a parent about the quality of the relationship. If the relationship is characterized by conflict or abuse or if psychotic symptoms are present, assess for violent thoughts toward the parent. For patients with uncontrolled psychosis coupled with a contentious parental relationship, in addition to aggressively treating psychotic symptoms, consider initiating family therapy, anger management classes, group home placement, or involuntary hospitalization to lower the risk of parricide.
Related resources
- Heide KM, Boots DP. A comparative analysis of media reports of U.S. parricide cases with officially reported national crime data and the psychiatric and psychological literature. Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol. 2007;51(6):646-675.
- Jacobs A. On matricide: myth, psychoanalysis, and the law of the mother. New York, NY: Columbia University Press; 2007.
Disclosure
The authors report no financial relationship with any company whose products are mentioned in this article, or with manufacturers of competing products.
