Evidence of Child Maltreatment among Adolescent Parricide Offenders

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Abstract
Beginning in the 1980s, a series of popular accounts of adolescents who killed parents indicated that these youths were victims of child maltreatment. In this article, definitions of specific types of abuse and neglect are presented. The incidence of these forms of childhood maltreatment among the author's sample of adolescent parricide offenders (APOs) is reported. Thereafter, evidence of child abuse is investigated across the ten previously published studies of APOs appearing in the professional literature from 1941 through 1984. Results revealed that various forms of child abuse and neglect were evident in others' reports, although not necessarily identified by them as such. These findings provide additional confirmation that understanding the phenomenon of child maltreatment is critical in unraveling the dynamics leading to the slaying of a parent. The results underscore the need for education about the parameters of abuse and neglect.

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