Child mental health and wellbeing after parental loss due to intimate partner homicide: Brief update of the 2015 systematic review

<p dir="ltr">A new, slightly broadened, systematic search for papers on child mental health and wellbeing after bereavement through intimate partner homicide identified 18 eligible articles comprising 14 independent studies. Most studies were qualitative or based on individual cases and came from a variety of countries. Very few studies engaged with children directly and extensively to give voice to their experiences or perspectives following this unique form of traumatic loss. Findings involved the presence of, and variation in, severe distress among children after intimate partner homicide and their long-term impact into adulthood; the experience of secondary social and family difficulties (e.g. stigma and rejection due to the homicide); the centrality of identity questions and meaning making; the potential yet frequent inadequacy of support systems; and promising effects of trauma-focused treatment.</p>