Psychologist homicide victims: The National Violent Death Reporting System and other sources

Objective: Homicide of healthcare workers has been reported but little is known about psychologists as victims of homicide. This study aimed to investigate what is known about homicide of psychologists. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevent...

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Published inJournal of clinical psychology Vol. 78; no. 2; pp. 167 - 183
Main Authors Robiner, William N., Li, Tiffany
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States Wiley Periodicals Inc 01.02.2022
Subjects
Cause of Death
death
Homicide
Humans
Medical personnel
murder
Murders & murder attempts
Population Surveillance
Professionals
psychologist
Psychologists
Suicide
United States - epidemiology
Violence
workplace
United States
murder
death
psychologist
workplace
homicide
violence
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Summary:Objective: Homicide of healthcare workers has been reported but little is known about psychologists as victims of homicide. This study aimed to investigate what is known about homicide of psychologists. Methods: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control's National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) provides insights into violent deaths, including homicide. This study interrogated the NVDRS and conducted Internet searches about psychologist decedents of homicide. Results: Between 2003 and 2018 the NVDRS identified 12 psychologist homicides. Internet searches revealed 15 psychologist homicides. Only three (11.1%) were known to have been killed by current or former patients. Another was by a colleague's patient. Another assailant was suspected to be a patient. We summarize patterns and circumstances of deaths, address issues related to violence in healthcare, and review selected resources addressing violence prevention. Conclusion: Psychologists, like other health professionals, may be victims of homicide. Such deaths have diverse contributing factors and are rarely perpetrated by patients. As concern about health professional safety mounts and the NVDRS becomes better established, it will hopefully become a more sensitive, precise, comprehensive and useful mechanism for tracking trends in violent deaths of psychologists and other health professionals and ultimately inform preventative strategies.
Bibliography:This article is dedicated to the memory of the 27 named and unnamed psychologists described in this study and all psychologists whose lives and good works have been cut short as victims of homicide.
Public Significance: Homicide of health professionals, including psychologists, is a tragic matter that is concerning to professionals, trainees, patients, families, social networks, health institutions, and society. It is important to elucidate the epidemiology of this scourge and its trajectory over time so as to develop appropriate awareness, proportionate expectations, and effective preventative approaches.
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ISSN:0021-9762
1097-4679
DOI:10.1002/jclp.23199