This is an alarming figure, especially if one considers this in relation to the child survivors of these grotesque deeds. The majority of spouse killings involve the male killing the female partner. The murders are seldom premeditated but often occur in families where there are high levels of domestic violence. Factors which appear to contribute to spouse killings are alcohol abuse, low self esteem, immaturity, poor interpersonal relationships, aggressive and impulsive behaviour, abusive relationships, economic problems, and patriarchal attitudes towards women and children. The one factor which seems the most significant in determining risk for homicide is jealousy.
Most homicides occur when the female partner is leaving or threatening to end the relationship.
When a wife kills her partner, she is 7 times more likely to be acting out of self defence than when the male kills his partner and these relationships often have a long history of abuse. This paper does not address family murders in which a family member kills most or all of the family and often take their own life. Impact on Children Children very often become the silent victims. They may be victimised directly through themselves being abused or indirectly, through witnessing the horror of a parent being repeatedly abused and sometimes killed in front of them. They are the silent victims as their plight is seldom recognised or reported by the media and frequently their own family disregards the impact of their traumatic experiences.