South Africa is perceived as a violent society, with an average murder rate significantly higher than in the rest of the world. The family is a core system within the broader community and is traditionally seen as a safe environment. The reality, however, is that a high percentage of all murders is committed by someone known to the family or a member of a family or household. The aim of the research was to understand the child who commits family murder. The researcher wanted to determine the contributing individual and systemic factors that led to murder and whether a sample specific profile of such a child could be compiled. A qualitative research design was followed and qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. A phenomenological approach was used to investigate the phenomenon without possible personal or theoretical prejudice. Documents on nine cases were studied and interviews were conducted with experts in the field. The main findings of the study relate to weak or no attachment to the primary caregiver. The weak attachment as well as the accumulated individual and environmental stressors led to feelings and perceptions of rejection. A safe and supportive family environment was often absent, and in several cases the children presented with a desire to escape their circumstances, for instance through alcohol and drug abuse. The child’s emotional needs were not acknowledged and these children were not supported adequately when they experienced loss. Family dysfunction, which included abuse and extreme parenting styles, were apparent. The accumulated stressors often led to feelings of anxiety and aggression. Interpersonal relationship problems were noted. In two of the cases the characteristics of conduct disorder was identified. The individual and systemic stressors that accumulated over several years ultimately resulted in family murder. When children commit family murder, there is often only one victim. However, in this study there was more than one victim in six of the cases. / Suid-Afrika word as ’n gewelddadige samelewing beskou, met ’n gemiddelde nasionale moordsyfer wat beduidend hoër is as in die res van die wêreld. Die familie is kernsisteem binne die breëre gemeenskap en word tradisioneel as veilige sisteem beskou. Die realiteit is egter dat ’n groot persentasie moorde in Suid-Afrika deur ’n kennis, familielid of lid van ’n huishouding gepleeg word. Die doel van hierdie navorsing was om die kind as oortreder van familiemoord beter te verstaan. Die navorser wou bepaal watter individuele en sistemiese faktore aanleiding gee tot familiemoord en of steekproef-spesifieke profiel vir sodanige kinders saamgestel kon word. ’n Kwalitatiewe navorsingsontwerp is gevolg en kwalitatiewe inhoudsontleding is vir data-analise gebruik. ’n Fenomenologiese benadering is gebruik om die verskynsel sonder moontlike vooropgestelde persoonlike of teoretiese idees te ondersoek. Die dokumente van nege gevalle is in-diepte bestudeer en onderhoude is met kundiges gevoer. Die hoofbevindinge was dat die kind wat familiemoord pleeg dikwels swak of geen band met die primêre sorggewer gehad het. Die swak band asook die akkumulatiewe individuele en omgewingstressors het gelei tot gevoelens en persepsies van verwerping. Geborge huislike omstandighede het dikwels ontbreek. In sekere gevalle het die kinders van ontvlugting gebruik gemaak, wat onder andere dwelm- en alkoholmisbruik ingesluit het. Die kind se emosionele behoeftes is in die meerderheid gevalle grotendeels misken en verlies is in verskeie gevalle nie toereikend hanteer nie. Gesinswanfunksionering, wat mishandeling en ekstreme ouerskapstyle ingesluit het, was opvallend. Akkumulatiewe stressors het dikwels gevoelens van angs en onderliggende aggressie tot gevolg gehad. Interpersoonlike verhoudingsprobleme was opmerklik. Kenmerke van gedragsafwyking was in twee gevalle opgemerk. Die akkumulatiewe individuele en sistemiese gebeure het oor jare plaasgevind en veroorsaak dat die kind uiteindelik familiemoord gepleeg het. In die geval waar ’n kind familiemoord pleeg is daar dikwels net een slagoffer, maar in ses van die gevalle wat in die studie ondersoek word, was daar meer as een slagoffer. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2017. / Educational Psychology / PhD / Unrestricted

Research on murder-suicide within the South African context has been limited with the last published study in 1992 (Roos, Beyers, & Visser, 1992). This particular study investigated the phenomenon of murder-suicide in the city of Durban using techniques previously applied in a broad range of international studies (Berman, 1979; Cooper & Eaves, 1996; Rosenbaum, 1990). The study served as a pilot for a broader national study. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the incidence of murder-suicide in the sample and to generate demographic profiles of perpetrators and victims. It was hoped that the results from this study would pioneer the development of accurate base rates of murder-suicide in South Africa as there are currently no statistics of South African murder-suicide rates or characteristics. The sample consisted of 21 murder-suicide cases with 43 individuals in total having died from the murder-suicide events. The sample covered all murder-suicides in the Durban Metro area over the years 2000 and 2001. A Durban Metro Murder-Suicide Incidence Form was used to collect the data from post mortem examination reports at Gale Street Mortuary. Corresponding police reports where available substantiated this data. The incident rate of murder-suicide in Durban over the two-year period was found to be higher than the international average. This may be attributed to the violent social context in which the study took place. The reliability of this finding would be influenced by the small sample size. Typical profiles of perpetrators and victims were generated. The typical profile of a perpetrator was found to be a Black male aged 32 years with a secondary school education and currently unemployed or working in the police or security sector. He was typically be the boyfriend or spouse of the victim and committed the homicide and suicide using a firearm. The typical profile of a victim was a Black female aged 26 years with at least a secondary school education and currently unemployed. She was typically the spouse or girlfriend of the perpetrator. Her death would usually be attributed to multiple gunshot wounds to the head or chest. The findings suggest that Durban's murder-suicides profiles follow similar patterns to those observed internationally. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2003.