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Schizophrenia and Matricide: An Integrative Review

NCJ Number
235616
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 27 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 204-229
Author(s)
Robert A. Schug
Date Published
May 2011
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article examines previous studies that link a possible relationship between schizophrenia and matricide, or mother-killing.
Abstract
Though a modest number of studies dating back several decades have addressed a possible relationship between schizophrenia and matricide, or mother-killing, this literature to date remains largely unintegrated and findings have yet to be aggregated in any meaningful way. To address this, a qualitative review of studies related to both schizophrenia and matricide was conducted. Sixty-one publications were identified, consisting of case reports, descriptive studies, and comparison studies. Results indicated variable rates across studies of schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders among samples of matricidal offenders, though these rates appeared to be elevated in comparison to base rates of schizophrenia in the general population. Additionally, matricidal offenders with and without schizophrenia were in many cases characterized by negative family dynamics, pathological relationships with their mothers, and excessive offense violence. Though only limited generalizations can be made from qualitative synthesis of the literature in its current state, future investigations could lead to the establishment of a schizophreniamatricide relationship which could have important implications in research, treatment, and criminal investigative areas of forensic psychology. (Published Abstract)