Helping families of homicide victims: A multidimensional approach

Abstract

Homicide inflicts massive injury upon the intrapsychic and interpersonal realities of thesurviving kin of murder victims. A New York City pilot program of outreach and counselling to 1182 families of Brooklyn homicide victims suggests that surviving kin undergo the symptoms of traumatic stress disorder. Recovery is prolonged by knowledge that the perpetrator is usually alive and in some cases unpunished, by repetitive con frontations with the criminal justice system and by the multiple losses endured: loss of a family member, loss of illusions of safety and invulnerability, loss of a sense of trust in the surrounding community, and loss of a beiief system. Effective help to survivors requires interventions that respond to all aspects of the survivors' losses.

Family survivors of homicide victims: Theoretical perspectives and an exploratory study

“…Further research is required to ascertain the impact of socioeconomic and ethnic variables on survivor adjustment. Related to this question, Masters et al (1988) have observed that within their Victims Services Agency in New York City, ". .…”

Cognitive Processing of Traumas: The Role of Intrusive Thoughts and Reappraisals1

“…In other words, the responsiveness of others can help to restore the survivor's self-esteem, trust in others, and hope for a better future. On the other hand, interactions with people who are insensitive or indifferent to her suffering can impede the survivor's attempts at cognitive reconstruction (Masters, Friedman, & Getzel, 1988;Wortman & Dunkel-Schetter, 1979).…”

Families of homicide victims: Psychiatric responses and help‐seeking

“…However, some authors have suggested a category of 'traumatic grief' (Horowitz et al, 1997;Prigerson et al, 1999) to cover particularly traumatic bereavements including through homicide. Responses following traumatic bereavement include feelings of rage and a wish for revenge, the loss of belief and value system, social withdrawal and isolation, stigmatization, extreme guilt, fear and suicidal ideation (Amick-McMullan, Kilpatrick, Veronen, & Smith, 1989;Burgess, 1975;Masters, Friedman, & Getzel, 1988;Parkes, 1993;Rando, 1988;Raphael 1997;Redmond, 1990;Rynearson, 1984). The social and legal reverberations following homicide, with lack of information about the legal process, can compound and prolong the grieving process for surviving relatives (Amick-McMullan et al, 1989;Brown & Christie, 1997;Burgess 1975;Masters et al, 1988;Thompson, Norris, & Ruback, 1998).…”