Femicide: Psychosocial Characteristics of the Perpetrators in Turkey.

ABSTRACT

Female homicides are widely prevalent in Turkey with rising trend. The aim of this study is to identify gender role attitudes, childhood trauma histories, and individual characteristics of men who have been involved in the femicide, and to compare them with men who do not exercise violence against women. Participants completed a Sociodemographic and Clinical Information form, Semistructured Interview form, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Case group was not significantly different than the control group in terms of any measured individual characteristics including childhood traumas, psychopathology, and gender attitudes. Our data indicate that only migration history may be linked to femicide. A unique psychopathology that could be related to being a femicide perpetrator was not identified. Migration and perception of gender roles stand out as factors that separate men who exercise violence from men who do not.