Comparison of post-homicidal suicides with common homicides and suicides at the federal level

Post-homicidal suicide (PHSU) is a rare delict that is accompanied by the death of two or more people. In the Russian Federation (RF), PHSUs have not been studied fully enough; they have not been compared with other types of violent death. The aim of the study: to compare PHSU with murders and suicides committed in the regions of the Russian Federation. Materials and methods. We collected data on 348 PHSUs (287 men and 61 women, aged 15 to 86; mean age 42.6±14.1 years) published in the Russian electronic media of 76 regions in 2002-2021. Similar data in the media was collected about 400 murders (259 men and 141 women, aged 12 to 86; mean age 38.2±13.2 years) and 400 suicides (191 men and 209 women, aged from 11 to 86; mean age 29.5±14.1 years) in the Russia. Mathematical and statistical processing was carried out using descriptive statistics and distribution (test) x2. Results. Men who committed PHSU were the oldest in age (43.2±14.1 years on average), most often (46.7%) killed their spouses (partners), and then themselves using firearms and explosions as a result of personal family problems and work-related conflicts. Women who committed PHSU, as a rule (78.7%), strangled their underage children or made them fall from a height or drowned them. Sometimes they used several instruments of aggression due to various health conditions. To escape from life, they jumped from a height or used several suicide methods. In the group of murderers, most often there was one or another mental disorder detected (38.6-39.7%), as well as previous criminal record (18.4-34.4%), the state of intoxication (58.9-66.8%) in moment of delict. They usually directed aggression (46.8-54.4%) at their acquaintances (rarely strangers), using cutting weapons (women), blunt weapons and arson (men); had conflicts associated with an antisocial environment. Suicide attempters of both sexes turned out to be the youngest people among all compared groups. Men (mean age 33.3±15.4 years) committed suicides by falling under transport and causing transport accidents in the presence of financial and domestic difficulties; the state of intoxication was detected in 47.1% cases. Women (mean age 26.2±11.1 years) used poisonous substances and self-hanging more often than other suicide methods, often being in a state of intoxication (65.6%) and having personal and family conflicts. Conclusion. All six compared groups with various cases of violent death differed from each other according to the indicated socio-demographic, clinical, criminological indicators and the reasons for their commission. PHSU is significantly different from ordinary murders and ordinary suicides, PHSU by men is different from PHSU by women.