Jacques D. Marleau

PREFERENCE FOR A FIRST-BORN BOY IN WESTERN SOCIETIES

Many studies in the last 45 years have shown that women prefer a boy to a girl for their first-born child, suggesting that this preference is universal in Western societies. A careful examination of these studies reveals, however, that the subjects were often women who were not pregnant and/or students. A review of sixteen studies with first-time-pregnant women showed that in most cases the opposite was true, namely, that a girl was desired more often than a boy, especially during the last two decades (from 1981 to 1996). Data concerning expectant fathers, however, indicate that they prefer a boy rather than a girl. A preference for a boy first was also observe for both non-expectant males and females. Womens preference for a male child decreased and mens preference increased slightly when the two sub-periods (before 1980vs after 1981) were compared. A difference between men and women is, however, evident whatever the sub-period: men more often prefer a boy than women. These findings suggest that something specific about being pregnant is related to the preference for a girl first.

Comparison of Factors Associated with Parricide in Adults and Adolescents

Despite high revalence rates of intimate partner violence in the lives of extremely poor women with depenent children, few studies have investigated the patterns of violence that occur over time, and the characteristics of women that serve as risk markers for partner violence. This study compared 43 adult parricides and 12 adolescent parricides. Several statistically significant differences were observed. Adults suffer from severe mental disorders, have a history of violent behavior and psychiatric antecedents, and are more likely to threaten their parents. Less predictable in their acting out, adolescents present several profiles as a function of victims’ sex, number of victims, diagnostic elements, and being witness to or victim of intrafamilial violence. Results suggest different approaches should be used to understand the dynamics and course of these two groups.

Filicide: A Comparison by Sex and Presence or Absence of Self-destructive Behavior

The purpose of this study was to identify sociodemographic, contextual, situational, and individual variables, as well as certain behavioral warning signs, associated with filicide as a function of sex of the agressors and the presence or absence of self-destructive behaviours. The data cover all officially registered filicides committed in Quebec from January 1, 1986, to March 31, 1994, against youths under the age of 18xa0years. For the group of individuals who have self-destructive behaviours, results indicate that men compared to women are more likely to commit spousal homicide, to kill a higher number of victims, to be going through a conjugal separation, to have committed conjugal violence, to have threatened suicide, and to have threatened to kill their spouse. For the group of individuals who commit no self-destructive acts, women are more likely to present with a depressive disorder, whereas men are more likely to maltreated their children. Men who do not commit a self-destructive act are characterized by a significantly higher likelihood of maltreatment against their children and of tyrannical discipline, whereas men who commit a self-destructive act perpetrate filicide as a means of reprisal against their spouse. Results underscore the importance of considering the different groups of individuals who commit filicide as a function of sex as well as presence or absence of self-destructive behaviour.

Infanticide committed by the mother

Using data gathered at the Institut Philippe Pinel in Montréal, we shall describe the sociodemographic and psychiatric profile of a sample of 17 women who have killed (n = 14) or attempted to kill (n = 3) one of their children. Our data indicate that women who have committed this type of offence generally come from a disadvantaged socioeconomic environment. Most have a psychiatric history (evaluation and/or hospitalization). Review of the offence demonstrates that most women do not use a weapon to kill their child; the preferred methods are strangulation or drowning. Most of these offences may be classified as extended suicide or altruistic acts. Several of the women present with a severe personality disorder and an additional depressive episode in the context of the offence. We hope our study will help clarify understanding of filicide and assist in the development of certain prevention axes. These results indicate that the population at large and various intervenors in our society (family physicians, psychiatrists, criminologists, social workers, pediatricians, psychologists, gynecologists) must become increasingly vigilant and avoid trivialization of signals such as verbalization of homicidal thoughts about the child or recourse to certain disorganized behaviours.

Methods of killing employed by psychotic parricides.

Lewis, et al. in 1998 showed that psychotic women are more likely to use a weapon than nonpsychotic women to kill their children. This study presents data concerning psychotic parricide. Analysis indicated that a higher percentage used a weapon (81% versus 36%) than psychotic filicide. Reasons for this difference are discussed.

Filicidal Women: Jail or Psychiatric Ward?

Objective: This study aims to examine the legal procedure that women who are charged with killing their children experience and to compare the variables that discriminate between those found guilty and those who received a medical disposition. Method: The sample comprises 32 adult women who killed their biological children in the province of Quebec over an 11-year period (1981 to 1991). Results: Of the sample, 18 women were found guilty, and 14 received a medical disposition. Of those who were the object of a penal disposition, most received a sentence that exceeded 2 years. Women who were sentenced to prison had a lower socioeconomic status and, compared with those who received a medical disposition, were more likely to have had a criminal and substance abuse history. Further, this latter subgroup of women were more likely to have a psychiatric history, to suffer from psychotic symptoms, and to become oriented to the mental health system immediately after their offence. Conclusions: These comparative results suggest that womens profiles differ according to some descriptive variables. From a clinical point of view, however, these results do not suggest that a different approach with respect to treatment of filicidal women or prevention of filicide would be more appropriate.

Risk Assessment and Offender–Victim Relationship in Juvenile Offenders

The present study compares the Historical, Clinical, and Risk Management–20 (HCR-20) checklist in a male offender population of 108 adolescents using the relationship between the offender and the victim as a classification factor. Two types of relationship were retained for comparison purposes: family victim/known victim and unknown victim. All adolescents admitted to the Adolescent program of Montréals Philippe-Pinel Institute from February 1998 to April 2003 were assessed and their families were met. The HCR-20 checklist was completed for each adolescent. Statistically significant differences were observed for the mean rank of the total score of the HCR-20 and two sub-scales, the historical subscale (H) and the risk management subscale (R). The results indicate that the adolescents who victimize strangers have more violent risk factors compared to those who victimize family/known victims. These results have important implications regarding prevention and treatment.

Neonaticidal Mothers: Are more boys killed?:

Neonaticide refers to the homicide of a newborn of less than 24 hours old. Recently, certain authors have reported that only boys were victims (Dubé, 1998; Haapasalo and Petäjä, 1999). The aim of this study was to determine whether the proportion of male/female victims identified in the literature varied significantly from the official proportions of males/females at birth in countries of the Western World. Two types of study were taken into account to identify the victims sex, namely, those presenting case reports and those presenting case series. A total of 420 neonaticides were included in our analyses. The majority of newborn victims were male (58.3%). However, there was no significant difference compared with the percentage of male births (51.4%). Based on the data collected, results indicate overall that a childs sex is not a significant factor associated with neonaticide.

Birth order and fratricide: an evaluation of Sulloway's hypothesis

Sulloway (1996) suggested that older siblings were more likely to be fratricidal than younger ones. Our data, based on 113 case studies found in the psychiatric, psychological and criminological literature since 1959, confirms his hypothesis. In 72 out of the 92 cases (78%) where age could be determined, the aggressor was older than the victim. The same held true even when the age of aggressor, sex of aggressor and victim, presence or not of a blood tie, and presence of one or more victims are taken into account. Surprisingly, most of the aggressors in our sample were under the age of 18 years. Also, firstborns were more often the aggressor than the victim. This result seems to confirm the Adlerian theory of dethronement. Some suggestions and hypotheses are advanced for future research to improve our understanding of this phenomenon.