Intimate Femicide-Suicide in South Africa: a Cross-Sectional Study

The incidence & patterns of intimate femicide-suicide in South Africa were examined. The factors associated with an increase in the risk of suicide after intimate femicide are described. A cross-sectional retrospective national mortuary-based study was conducted, identifying all homicides of women aged over 13 years in 1999. Among 1349 perpetrators of intimate femicide, 19.4% died by suicide within a week of the murder. Suicide was more likely if the perpetrator was white, was employed as a professional or white-collar worker, & owned a legal gun. This study highlights the public health impact of legal gun ownership in cases of intimate femicide-suicide. (20 refs.)