Intimate femicide-suicide in South Africa: a cross-sectional study

• DOI: 10.2471/blt.07.043786
• Publication Date: 2008-09-01T12:29:04Z
• Authors: Shanaaz Mathews
• Keywords: Femicide; Suicide methods

To examine the incidence and patterns of intimate femicide-suicide in South Africa to describe factors associated with an increase risk suicide after femicide (i.e. killing female partner).A cross-sectional retrospective national mortuary-based study was conducted at a proportionate random sample 25 legal laboratories identify all homicides committed 1999 women aged over 13 years. Data were collected from mortuary file, autopsy report police interview.Among 1349 perpetrators femicide,19.4% within week murder. Suicide more likely if perpetrator white rather than African racial background (odds ratio, OR: 5.8; 95% confidence interval, CI: 1.21-27.84); employed as professional or white-collar worker blue-collar (OR: 37.28; 5.82-238.93); owned gun not owning 45.26; 8.33-245.8). The attributable fraction shows that 91.5% deaths gun-owning their victims may have been averted this group did own gun.South has rate exceeds reported rates for other countries. This highlights public health impact ownership cases femicide-suicide.