Homicide Offenders With or Without Psychotic Disorder: Post-Traumatic Symptoms, Guilt and Shame, and Coping in the Post-Offence Period - Abstract
Background: Post - offence reactions are a rarely investigated area, and comparison of these reactions in convicted homicide offenders and offenders with serious mental illness (SMI) is without substantial antecedent.
Aims: We sought to compare post - offence emotions and the applied coping mechanisms in offenders with a diagnosis of a psychotic disorder and those without such a diagnosis. We also explored these areas in regard of the relationship with the victim.
Methods: We applied questionnaires to measure general proneness to anxiety and state anxiety after the perpetration of the crime, preferences in coping strategies, crime-related traumatization symptoms and feelings of guilt and shame related to the homicidal act.
Results: There were no significant differences found on any of the scales measuring post - offensive reactions and coping between the two samples. A marked difference in post - offensive reactions in regard to relationship with the victim was found.
Conclusions: Our results confirm that committing homicide causes severe anxiety in most perpetrators and substantial part of the offenders report severe symptoms with no significant difference between prisoners and NGRI patients. A marked difference was found in prisoners with more variable post - offensive reactions in regard to relationship with the victim.