Children's perspectives on life and well-being after parental intimate partner homicide

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

This literature review focused on homicide bereavement (HB) risk factors. A content analysis was conducted on 83 empirical papers published in English from January 2000 to December 2021 in peer-reviewed journals. Extracted HB risk factors were synthesized according to six main dimensions: individual level; situational homicide-related factors; and micro, meso, exo, and macro social levels. The review demonstrates that macro-level and situational homicide-related risk factors are in special need of further study. In addition, how HB risk factors interact with one another to influence HB also requires further study. Future research may benefit from examining whether and how individuals experiencing HB influence related factors at various social levels. Last, given that almost all reviewed studies were conducted in Western societies, the sociocultural and ethnic diversity in HB risk factors is in dire need of future study.

A framework of meaning attribution following loss

The loss of a loved one causes the world and the place of the bereaved survivor in it to change irreversibly. A key aspect of the grieving process is the integration of the loss in the bereaved survivor's life story, identity change, and a new future orientation through meaning attribution. Meaning attribution can have favourable or unfavourable effects on the grieving process and hence determines the extent to which a loss disrupts the bereaved survivor's functioning. A framework of meaning attribution after loss is presented, comprising 17 determinants that fall into five categories: event-related, cultural, social, individual and relational determinants. Each determinant may lead to both positive and negative meanings, thereby facilitating or complicating the grieving process. The framework of meaning attribution highlights the importance of an integrated network for mental health care, spiritual care, and end-of-life care in the prevention and treatment of traumatic grief. It also emphasizes the support from relatives, collective rituals, cultural views, legal settlements, and other societal factors that may foster or impede adaptation to loss. The framework of meaning attribution informs research across a range of research themes, including specialist care for traumatic grief, a culturally sensitive care network for traumatic grief, and improving care for ambiguous loss in a global context.

Remembering the forgotten victims: Child-Related themes in domestic violence fatality reviews

BACKGROUND

The needs of children exposed to domestic violence have been historically overlooked. One way in which service provision for children exposed to this violence can be explored is through an examination of Domestic Violence Fatality Review Teams (DVFRT's), who review cases of fatal domestic violence to identify possible areas for improvement.

OBJECTIVE

This study explored key themes relative to children exposed to domestic violence and homicide published by DVFRT's in order to identify the services that exist for children exposed to domestic violence, barriers to providing these services, and recommendations for improvement.

PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING

This study reviewed annual reports from three DVFRT jurisdictions with regular annual reports from 2004 to 2016.

METHODS

A generic thematic analysis was performed by the primary author, in consultation with the second author, in order to identify dominant themes present in the DVFRT annual reports. The analysis utilized a codebook that was created beforehand in order to capture pertinent information within the reports. Trustworthiness of the data was established through a consistent application and thorough reporting of the coding procedures.

RESULTS

The analysis highlighted key barriers to child-specific service provision among agencies involved (e.g., lack of professional training and public awareness), recommendations for enhanced intervention (e.g., enhanced child-specific services) and promising practices (e.g., policy and legislation development).

CONCLUSIONS

The three DVFRTs identified several gaps in service provision for children affected by fatal domestic violence that will require increased engagement and resources targeting these vulnerable children.

Traumatic loss: Mental health consequences and implications for treatment and prevention

Traumatic loss involves the loss of loved ones in the context of potentially traumatizing circumstances and is a commonly reported traumatic event. It may give rise to disturbed grief, called prolonged grief disorder (PGD) in ICD-11 and persistent complex bereavement disorder (PCBD) in DSM-5, combined with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. The recent inclusion of grief disorders in both DSM-5 and ICD-11 have spurred research on grief-related psychopathology. This special issue on traumatic loss includes 10 articles and two letters. Topics addressed include diagnostic criteria for PGD, children's perspectives on life after parental intimate partner homicide, and the impact of visiting the site of deaths caused by terror. Early indicators of problematic grief trajectories are addressed, as well as moderators and mediators of disordered grief, including coping strategies, rumination, and meaning-making. Further, a meta-analysis synthesizing research findings on correlates of disturbed grief following traumatic loss is presented. Finally, specialized treatments as Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for grief are addressed, and predictors of treatment response for CBT for PGD including levels of self-blame and avoidance are scrutinized. As such, the articles included in this special issue increase our understanding of the needs of people confronted with traumatic loss and bring promising findings with regard to diagnosis, prevention, and specialized treatment in children, young people and adults. This article also introduces a hypothetical staging, profiling, and stepped care model which may offer a template to integrate existing and emerging research findings on possible courses and correlates of grief, in order to inform treatment decisions.