The Child as Witness to Homicide

Abstract

This paper describes the experiences of children who have witnessed the homicide ( d a parent and are then legally compelled "to tell what (they] have seen." The witnessing of a human killing constitutes psychic trauma, and the child may exhibit symptoms of a posttraumatic stress clisorcler. There may also be N wide range of gricf responses. Our focus is on the interplay of the child's grief and traumatic reactions, and the demands of the legal system. The horrrbing loss of impulse control in the assailant, the mutilation of the victim, and the helple.ssness of the victim and witness continue to haunt the child. W e review the issues arising from police quesfioning, qualification procedures, testimony in open court, and ikfendmt sentencing. The child's efforts at mastering the trciuma can be either enhanced or impeded by involvement in judicial proceedings. With more complete mastety of traumatic anxiety, the child cun become a more effective witness. W e argue f o r the usefulness of having (in expert in psychic trauma to assist these young witnesses and outline legal recommendations to provide lidequate mental-health consultation.During the past three years we have investigated the consequences to children who have witnessed a parent's homicide (Eth & Pynoos, 1983). Obviously, this is an unforgettable personal tragedy. Juxtaposed with the child's efforts to master the trauma and mourn successfully are the possible societal demands to participate in subsequent criminal proceedings.

Children's Witnessing of Adult Domestic Violence

“…For example, witnesses are often portrayed as giving an "eyewitness account" of a crime. Pynoos and Eth's (1984) studies of children who witnessed the murder of a parent reinforce this definition. One example they offer is:…”

“…105-106). Pynoos and Eth (1984) suggest that "at the core of the trauma for the child witness to homicide is a continued intrusion into the child's mind of the central action when lethal physical harm was inflicted: the final blow with a fist, the plunge of a knife, or the blast of a shotgun" (p. 91).…”

Childrens' report pattern from witnessing homicidal violence - the effect of repeated experience and repeated interviews

“…The available research has shown somewhat inconsistent results. While some studies indicate that children who have witnessed violence have strong memories about the violence over time, especially in regard to central details of the event (Pynoos & Eth, 1984;Steeves, Laughon, Parker & Weierbach, 2007;Överlien & Hydén, 2007) other studies indicate a tendency of forgetting (Follmer Greenhoot, McCloskey & Glisky, 2005). One study showed for example that some children remembered less information about the violence over time and in their recollection excluded some details about the severe violence (Follmer Greenhoot et al, 2005).…”

“…Research regarding childrens' memories of violence exposure has mostly investigated childrens' experiences with domestic violence (Eriksson, Biller & Balkmar, 2006;Eriksson, Källström Cater, Dahlkild-Öhman & Näsman, 2008;Lyckner, 1997;Weinehall, 1997) and studies investigating childrens' memories and recall of being witnesses to homicidal violence are limited (Eth & Pynoos, 1994;Pynoos & Eth, 1984, 1985. The available research has shown somewhat inconsistent results.…”

Termination as a therapeutic intervention when treating children who have experienced multiple losses

“…There have been many studies of the effects of single and multiple stressors on populations, including school-aged children, adolescents, and adults (Gisalson & Call, 1982;Kaufman, 2000;Osofsky, 1999;Pfefferbaum et al, 2001;Pynoos, 1996;Pynoos & Eth, 1984;Terr, 1988), and many worthwhile explorations of working with traumatized children (Carter, Osofsky, & Hann, 1991;Chaffin & Hanson, 2000;Gaensbauer, 1996;Gaensbauer, Chatoor, Drell, Siegel, & Zeanah, 1995;Lieberman, Silverman, & Pawl, 1999;Muir, 1992). Although there are writings that specifically discuss the effects of multiple losses on very young, traumatized children and how this impacts and should inform their treatment, as well as writings on termination of psychotherapy with older children, we could find no literature specifically addressing the importance of termination with multiply traumatized infants and toddlers and their families.…”