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Children's reactions to serial murder
Author(s) -
Herkov Michael J.,
Myers Wade C.,
Burket Roger C.
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.2370120305
Subject(s) - anxiety , injury prevention , suicide prevention , coping (psychology) , poison control , human factors and ergonomics , homicide , occupational safety and health , cognition , medicine , psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , medical emergency , pathology
This study examined the psychological reactions of children who lived in a community exposed to serial murder. The research also examined how parents coped with their children's psychological responses. Thirty‐four parents of 64 children between the ages of 5 and 18, inclusive, were asked to identify changes in their children since the serial murders. Data collection began 4 weeks following the murders and included assessment of emotional, cognitive and behavioral aspects of the child's responses. Follow‐up data collection occurred at 9 months and 18 months after the murders. Results indicated that children, as a group, experienced a number of psychological changes following the murders, even though none of the actual victims were children. The most frequently reported symptoms were anxiety‐based (fear of being alone, difficulty falling asleep and wanting to sleep with patents). Most children showed a significant decline in symptoms across time. The most popular parent coping strategies involved discussing issues of risk minimization, talking about the murders, and spending more time with children.