NCJ Number
150267
Journal
Social Work Volume: 39 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 28-34
Date Published
1994
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This report discusses the psychological impacts that children experience if they have witnessed the homicide of a parent. The report presents a case report of two such children, with emphasis on the treatment techniques used.
Abstract
Children who witness parental homicides are emotionally traumatized, stigmatized, and deeply scarred by a terrifying event. They often exhibit debilitating symptoms comparable to those of posttraumatic stress disorder. As attention is focused on the victim and offender, the child witnesses inadvertently become the neglected victims. The two children in the case report were ages 8 and 4 when their father murdered their mother. Their aunt obtained legal guardianship and brought them to the mental health clinic 2 years later. Theories of psychosocial development and social learning guided the assessment and intervention phases. Behavioral and expressive therapeutic treatment strategies helped the children work through the resultant anxiety and underlying grief; family intervention practices served to improve interaction and communication patterns. To continue maintenance of the therapeutic gains, the family was connected with community support organizations. 27 references