The relationship between childhood adversity and family murder by children

Abstract

South Africa has notoriously high levels of violent crime. From 2016 to 2019 the number of murders committed by children in South Africa increased approximately sixteen-fold. Limited research is available on parricide in South Africa, solely related to children. Several parricide cases, which have recently been reported in the media, highlight the need for continued research in this field. The aim of this study was to determine the connection between childhood adversity and parricide by children and to highlight the importance of stable supporting environments to limit future violent crimes. Fifteen cases of children under the age of 18 years who murdered family members were included. Most of the children in this study were exposed to more than one type of adversity, which included poverty, neglect and abuse. Two case studies, which were analysed in-depth and integrated with the General Aggression Model (GAM), are presented in this article. The General Aggression Model postulates how a variety of repeated life experiences, such as being exposed to chronic adversity, can lead to the development of an aggressive temperament.