Families of victims of homicide: qualitative study of their experiences with mental health inquiries

Abstract

Background Investigations may be undertaken into mental healthcare related homicides to ascertain if lessons can be learned to prevent the chance of recurrence. Families of victims are variably involved in serious incident reviews. Their perspectives on the inquiry process have rarely been studied. Aims To explore the experiences of investigative processes from the perspectives of family members of homicide victims killed by a mental health patient to better inform the process of conducting inquiries. Method The study design was informed by interpretive description methodology. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five families whose loved one had been killed by a mental health patient and where there had been a subsequent inquiry process in New Zealand. Data were analysed using an inductive approach. Results Families in this study felt excluded, marginalised and disempowered by mental health inquires. The data highlight these families’ perspectives, particularly on the importance of a clear process of inquiry, and of actions by healthcare providers that indicate restorative intent. Conclusions Families in this study were united in reporting that they felt excluded from mental health inquiries. We suggest that the inclusion of families’ perspectives should be a key consideration in the conduct of mental health inquiries. There may be benefit from inquiries that communicate a clear process of investigation that reflects restorative intent, acknowledges victims, provides appropriate apologies and gives families opportunities to contribute.

Experiences and support needs of consultant psychiatrists following a patient-perpetrated homicide

“…4 The impact of such an event extends beyond the loss of human life, with far-reaching consequences for the perpetrator, their family and friends and those of the victim. [5][6][7][8] There has been little attention given to the impact on the treating clinicians. One exception is a survey of UK forensic psychiatrists conducted by Mezey and colleagues.…”

An Ecological Review of Homicide Bereavement’s Risk Factors: Implications for Future Research

“…The studies reported recurring secondary victimization in the bereaved person’s interactions with both formal and informal institutions, which add further complexity to their challenge of coping with HB. This secondary victimization seems to stem from experiencing insensitive and unsupportive interactions with exo-level institutions, leaving the bereaved individuals feeling marginalized, stigmatized, and lonely (Alves-Costa, Hamilton-Giachritsis, & Halligan, 2021; Armour, 2002; Eisma et al, 2019; Englebrecht, 2011; Englebrecht et al, 2014; Gevoski et al, 2013; Huggins & Hinkson, 2022; King, 2004; Malone, 2007; Mastrocinque et al, 2015; Ng et al, 2020; Reed & Caraballo, 2022; Reed et al, 2020; Stretesky et al, 2010; Tasker, 2021; Thiel, 2016). In addition, and similar to micro and meso studies reporting the importance of social support, exo-level studies also noted the importance of social support in both informal and formal institutions to an individual’s ability to cope with HB (Alves-Costa, Hamilton-Giachritsis, & Halligan, 2021; Bailey, Sharma, et al, 2013; Bottomley et al, 2017; Douglas et al, 2021; Wågø et al, 2017).…”

Code-switching in mental health recovery narratives of Hong Kong storytellers

“…31,32 These observed attitudes and beliefs are reminiscent of Goffman's writing on stigma published decades ago, 28 further underlining the dire and persistent state of mental health stigma in Hong Kong. 6,33 While initiatives aiming to increase awareness about mental health issues and combat stigma have been carried out in Hong Kong [34][35][36] , the number of such campaigns has been notably sparse, and the vast majority of these interventions have not been evaluated in empirical studies (see Ng et al, 2023 andFung et al, 2011 for notable exceptions). 36,37 Despite research attesting to the effectiveness of contact-based interventions such as recovery storytelling, 8 there are few published studies that have evaluated the use of recovery storytelling as an anti-stigma tool in Hong Kong.…”

“…6,33 While initiatives aiming to increase awareness about mental health issues and combat stigma have been carried out in Hong Kong [34][35][36] , the number of such campaigns has been notably sparse, and the vast majority of these interventions have not been evaluated in empirical studies (see Ng et al, 2023 andFung et al, 2011 for notable exceptions). 36,37 Despite research attesting to the effectiveness of contact-based interventions such as recovery storytelling, 8 there are few published studies that have evaluated the use of recovery storytelling as an anti-stigma tool in Hong Kong. 4,38 Of note, the small number of studies that do exist have primarily focused on assessing the effectiveness of storytelling as a tool for achieving certain campaign outcomes, such as changes observed in the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours of target audience members or improvements in self-reported wellbeing of people with mental health problems.…”