Child and Adult Attachment Styles among Individuals Who Have Committed Filicide: The Case for Examining Attachment by Gender

Abstract

Gender differences in self-reported attachment styles of 18 individuals who had committed filicide were examined. Insecure attachment styles (avoidant and/or anxious-ambivalent) to primary caregivers were particularly common among males. Almost all experienced insecure romantic attachment. Partial support for insecure attachment continuity (childhood to adulthood), particularly among men, was found. Comparisons with 283 men and women who had committed other homicide types revealed that filicide males were the most common (across offender gender and victim-offender relationship) to hold insecure attachment to maternal caregivers. The role and nature of attachment patterns should be extended beyond the existing research focus on maternal filicide.

Keywords:

• Attachment
• homicide
• filicide
• child maltreatment
• violence

Keywords:

• Attachment
• violence
• homicide
• filicide
• child abuse

Acknowledgements

We wish to acknowledge the assistance of the various correctional departments across Australia for their significant support in the conduct of this research. The views expressed in this report are those of the authors and do not represent the policies or views of the correctional departments.

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Notes

1 For further information about the study and its findings, the reader is encouraged to contact the first author.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported under the Australian Research Council’s Discovery Projects funding scheme (DP0878364).