{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T22:25:19Z","timestamp":1788906319348,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,17]],"date-time":"2020-02-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1581897600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":16,"URL":"http:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/termsAndConditions#vor"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Criminal Behav Ment Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title><jats:sec><jats:title>Background<\/jats:title><jats:p>Familicide is defined as the killing of a whole family and, numerically, a form of \u201cmass murder\u201d (more\u2010or\u2010less three simultaneous killings). Switzerland has a lower rate of homicide than most other countries but a comparatively high share of homicides within the family.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Aim<\/jats:title><jats:p>The aim of this study is to describe a complete national sample of familicides and compare them with other types of mass murders in the country over the same period.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title><jats:p>All cases of three or more unlawful homicides in one event in Switzerland between 1972 and 2015 were identified from court records and socio\u2010demographic, criminological, and psychological variables were extracted. Given small numbers, we rely on narrative comparisons.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results<\/jats:title><jats:p>There were 20 familicides in the 43\u2010year study, with 82 victims between them as well as six felony\u2010associated mass murders accounting for 19 victims and nine public mass murders with 44 victims. Only one familicide was a woman; mean age was 39.5\u2009years (range 19\u201357\u2009years). Most were in employment. Only four had a prior psychiatric history. Nine had a history of violent or intrusive behaviour, but a prior criminal conviction was rare. In all but one case there was evidence of psychosocial stressors; eight men were facing separation from a spouse. Just over half used guns, but only three used army weapons. The main difference between the familicides and the other mass killers was the much higher rate of suicide among the familicides.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title><jats:p>Familicides in Switzerland appear to be rare suicidal acts, generally carried out by previously successful and apparently stable middle\u2010aged men with often an inconspicuous psychiatric history or criminal record, differing considerably from other groups of mass killers. Expert responses, like the recently established multidisciplinary \u201cthreat management boards\u201d in Switzerland, should bear in mind that the likely competent men involved may be good at covering their intent even from themselves.<\/jats:p><\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1002\/cbm.2140","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,18]],"date-time":"2020-02-18T05:11:31Z","timestamp":1582002691000},"page":"28-37","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Is familicide a distinct subtype of mass murder? Evidence from a Swiss national cohort"],"prefix":"10.1002","volume":"30","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5848-754X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andreas","family":"Frei","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Fachstelle Forensik Erwachsenenpsychiatrie Baselland  Liestal Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andrea","family":"Ilic","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry Universit\u00e4re Psychiatrische Kliniken Basel  Basel Switzerland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2020,2,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_7_2_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cbm.577"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1176\/ajp.124.5.693"},{"issue":"5","key":"e_1_2_7_4_1","first-page":"477","article-title":"Mass, serial and sensational homicides","volume":"62","author":"Dietz P. E.","year":"1986","journal-title":"Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_5_1","first-page":"20","volume-title":"The Wiley Handbook of the Psychology of Mass Shootings","author":"Duwe G.","year":"2017"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1086\/449274"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_7_1","volume-title":"Extreme killing: Understanding serial and mass murder","author":"Fox J. A.","year":"2014"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_8_1","volume-title":"Research and the psychiatric patient","author":"Frazier S. H.","year":"1975"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_9_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.4414\/smw.2013.13779"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_10_1","first-page":"1","article-title":"A multivariate comparison of family, felony, and public mass murders in the United States","author":"Fridel E. E.","year":"2017","journal-title":"Journal of Interpersonal Violence"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_11_1","first-page":"496","article-title":"Filicide\u2010suicide: Common factors in parents who kill their children and themselves","volume":"33","author":"Friedman S. H.","year":"2005","journal-title":"The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-012-9473-x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1037\/tam0000121"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_14_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Karlsson L.C. Antfolk J. PutkonenH. AmonS. daSilva GuerreiroJ. deVogel V. FlynnS.&Weizmann\u2010HeneliusG.(2019)Familicide: A systematic literature review.https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/1524838018821955","DOI":"10.31234\/osf.io\/bxjf9"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"KleinSD BischoffCh. &SchweitzerW. (2010)Suicides in the Canton of Zurich (Switzerland).Swiss Med Wkly. 140:w13102 h. doi:https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4414\/smw.2010.13102","DOI":"10.4414\/smw.2010.13102"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_16_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cbm.710"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10896-013-9504-2"},{"issue":"1","key":"e_1_2_7_18_1","first-page":"44","article-title":"Patterns of multiple family homicide","volume":"18","author":"Liem M.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Studies"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5993\/AJHB.37.4.11"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_20_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4614-0466-8_22"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.1992.03480230071031"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/bsl.586"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_23_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/1557988314551359"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1521\/psyc.2008.71.2.169"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_25_1","unstructured":"Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft. (2017).Bedrohungsmanagement insbesondere bei h\u00e4uslicher Gewalt. Bericht des Bundesrates in Erf\u00fcllung des Postulates Feri 13.3441 vom June 13 2013 vom 11.Oktober 2017 [Threat management especially in cases of domestic violence. A report of the Federal Council about the fulfilment of the postulate Feri 13.3441 from June 13 2013 until 11th October 2017].Bern Switzerland:Author."},{"key":"e_1_2_7_26_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1943-278X.1981.tb01009.x"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_27_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1176\/ps.62.11.pss6211_1369"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_28_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0306624X16646805"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_29_1","first-page":"159","article-title":"Familicide: Uxoricide plus filicide?","volume":"159","author":"Wilson M.","year":"1997","journal-title":"Lethal Violence"},{"key":"e_1_2_7_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/1098-2337(1995)21:4<275::AID-AB2480210404>3.0.CO;2-S"}],"container-title":["Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/api.wiley.com\/onlinelibrary\/tdm\/v1\/articles\/10.1002%2Fcbm.2140","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/cbm.2140","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1002\/cbm.2140","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1002\/cbm.2140","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,6]],"date-time":"2023-09-06T13:01:17Z","timestamp":1694005277000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1002\/cbm.2140"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1002\/cbm.2140"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/cbm.2140","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["0957-9664","1471-2857"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0957-9664","type":"print"},{"value":"1471-2857","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2020,2]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2018-08-31","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-01-31","order":1,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2020-02-17","order":2,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}]}}