Open research questions in Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
96 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,170 Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
Further studies on the relationship between filicide and mental health are needed. Research on the effectiveness of child protection measures is recommended.
There is a need to understand the relationship between filicide and mental health. The evaluation of criminal imputability in filicide cases is a complex issue.
The need for clinicians to develop a method of treatment for women victims of childhood incest - The lack of effective treatment for the dissociative processes in adult victims of childhood incest
The paper identifies a gap in understanding the impact of Australian society on family dynamics. The need for further research on the effectiveness of family therapy in addressing similar difficulties is highlighted.
Detecting the fabricated illnesses. Intervening early to prevent further harm. Understanding the causes and relationship of the syndrome to other forms of non-accidental injury.
There is a lack of understanding of the characteristics of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. There is a need for early detection and intervention to prevent further harm.
The patient's sophisticated and intellectualized verbal defenses. The patient's intimidating history and behavior. The limited time frame for the assessment (eight weeks).
The need for a more comprehensive understanding of the patient's personality and behavior. The limitations of traditional assessment methods in understanding complex personalities and behaviors.
The familial context of incest is often ignored when considering the child's role. The child's behavior is often taken out of context and used to blame the child for the incest.
There is a need for effective treatment programs for young female incest victims. The study aims to address the gap in understanding the therapeutic process for incest victims.
Young female incest victims in treatment: Stages of growth seen with a group art therapy model · 1982 · DOIThe therapist must resist challenges to his leadership. The therapist must clarify family roles and rules. The therapist must accommodate to meet the family's needs and structure.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of scapegoating in family therapy. The paper highlights the need for a strategy to combat the scapegoat in family therapy.
The paper identifies a lack of understanding and support for bereaved parents. The author notes the lack of explanation for the death. The author discusses the limited research on sudden infant death.
The author's lack of education background. The challenges of teaching in a depressed and depressing community. The author's negative experience as a teacher.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the experience of women who have been divorced for one to four years. It notes that the issues raised in this study are generalizable and applicable to most divorces.
The complexity of the psychological effects of the Holocaust on the children of survivors. The need to develop a comprehensive understanding of the metapsychological profile of this population.
Psychoanalyses of Children of Survivors From the Holocaust: Case Presentations and Assessment · 1980 · DOIThe lack of understanding of the unique themes and complexes developed by children of survivors. The need for a comprehensive understanding of the metapsychological profile of children of survivors.
Psychoanalyses of Children of Survivors From the Holocaust: Case Presentations and Assessment · 1980 · DOIThe challenge of analyzing a small sample size of homicide-suicide cases. The difficulty of understanding the complex factors that contribute to homicide-suicide. The need to address the limitations of the study, such as the exclusion of cases from 1973-1975.
Offender‐Victim Relationships in Criminal Homicide Followed by Offender's Suicide, North Carolina, 1972–1977 · 1980 · DOIThe paper identifies a gap in understanding the social and cultural factors that contributed to the perceived epidemic of infanticide. The study highlights the need for further research on the topic.
The child's almost absolute dependence upon an adult makes possible a regimen of cruelty and seduction alternating with indifference and neglect. The need for rescue and redress for children who have experienced soul murder. The importance of nurturing figures in a child's life.
There is a need to understand the effects of soul murder on children. There is a need to explore the environmental matrix that makes soul murder possible.
The study is limited to a single case study, which may not be generalizable to other patients. The paper acknowledges the pessimistic prognosis for cases marked by a deep-seated, unconscious sense of guilt.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding the complex psychological constellations that contribute to a patient's guilt and negative therapeutic reaction. The study highlights the need for further research into the role of early infantile influences in shaping a patient's character.
There is a lack of understanding of the etiology and treatment of apotemnophilia. There is no nosological term for the syndrome of erotic obsession or fetishism for amputated limbs or digits.
The challenge of sorting out the effects of the loss itself from more general prevailing and prior family relationships. The challenge of collecting data on this topic due to the lack of information in the psychiatric literature on prisoners' families.
Most-cited papers in Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Pregnancy-Associated Deaths from Homicide, Suicide, and Drug Overdose: Review of Research and the Intersection with Intimate Partner Violence · Journal of Women s Health · 2020 · 134 citations
- Explaining Paraphilias and Lust Murder: Toward an Integrated Model · International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology · 2001 · 87 citations
- Sororicide/Filiacide: Homicide for Family Honour [and Comments and Reply] · Current Anthropology · 1981 · 84 citations
- THE FEMALE EXPERIENCE OF SIBLING INCEST* · Journal of Marital and Family Therapy · 1992 · 66 citations
- SUICIDE AMONGST WOMEN PRISONERS · The Howard Journal of Criminal Justice · 1994 · 63 citations
- Experiences of Covictims of Homicide · Trauma Violence & Abuse · 2002 · 58 citations
- The Construction of Self‐Injury in the Clinical Literature: A Sociological Exploration · Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior · 2011 · 52 citations
- Intersectionality and Invisible Victims: Reflections on Data Challenges and Vicarious Trauma in Femicide, Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Research · Journal of Family Violence · 2021 · 52 citations
- The Role of Psychopathy and Sexuality in a Female Serial Killer · Journal of Forensic Sciences · 2005 · 45 citations
- Identification patterns of offspring of Holocaust survivors with their parents. · American Journal of Orthopsychiatry · 1990 · 36 citations
Most recent work
- Exploring detectives’ emotional and psychological experiences in interactions with families in intimate femicide cases · South African Journal of Psychology · 2026
- “I’d rather kill myself than him kill me”: examining trends in suicide by victims of domestic abuse in domestic homicide reviews · The Journal of Adult Protection · 2026
- Removal of Decapitated Fetal Head from Abdominal Cavity Following Uterine Rupture After Illegal Induced Abortion: A Case Report · Journal of Lumbini Medical College · 2026
- Violence against minors. Analysis of the phenomenon based on forensic medical examinations performed at the Department of Forensic Medicine in Poznan in 2015-2020 · Archives of Forensic Medicine and Criminology · 2026
- Suicidality as an Explanation for Spousal Homicide · Partner Abuse · 2026
- Narratives of Violence: A Systematic Review of Emotional Expression and Narrative Construction in Mass Murderers’ Legacy Tokens · Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice · 2026
- Child Sexual Abuse in Digital News Media: Ethical Reporting Practices, Victim – Perpetrator Profiles, and Judicial Process Visibility from a Forensic Psychology Perspective in Türkiye (2015–2024) · Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice · 2026
- Beyond non-accidental death: what filicide serious case reviews reveal about parental avoidance, agency and manipulation · PRACTICE · 2026
- Head banging · New Scientist · 2026
- Man-Made Mass Death: Challenging Paradigms of Selfhood · Columbia Academic Commons (Columbia University) · 2026
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