Traumatic presentations and behaviors in children exposed to homicide

Homicide is a behavioral deviation of the most serious and visible kind in our society, and is one of the fastest growing causes of death in the United States. This results in leaving a multitude of family members in the chaos and traumatic aftermath of this violent form of death. Since homicide is still largely an unplanned and impulsive act that provides for a high level of unpredictability, it results in a suddenness of loss and trauma that exacts a heavy toll on the mental health of children. The impact of family homicide upon children is still unclear. However, when someone in a child\u27s family is murdered, it is a multidimensional phenomenon and complex event, which ends with sudden and unexpected changes that compound adaptive coping. The combined use of psychometric instruments, clinical interview and child drawings promotes eliciting of sensory information surrounding the traumatic event and provides insight into the effect on child behaviors and emotions in the aftermath of a family homicide. The realization that death is permanent, and is the result of the actions of another human being, can result in disruptive presentations and behaviors which may potentially derail the normal developmental trajectory of a child\u27s emotional constructs