Reviews

Vol. 12: Issue 3 - September 2026

Homicide, Transgenerational Trauma, and Suicide Risk: A Theoretical-Clinical Analysis of Secondary Victims and Preventive Strategies

Secondary victims of homicide and suicide risk

Authors

Mariangela Boccardi , Alessandra Mugnolo , Claudia Tucci , Beatrice Morigine , Carlo Auriemma , Giammarco Esposito , Valeria Pierro , Federica Domestico , Caterina Ceparano , Alessio Figliuolo , Giuseppina Affinito

Keywords: femicide, secondary victimization, transgenerational trauma, prolonged grief, suicide risk
DOI: 10.36180/2421-4469-2025-2658
Publication Date: 2026-10-28

Summary

Media coverage of violent crime typically mobilizes collective indignation and a search for culpability, concentrating attention on the offender and punishment, while the trauma of direct and indirect victims remains in the background. Beyond the primary victim, the relatives of both the victim and the offender may develop severe psychological, emotional, and social consequences, aggravated by public exposure and judicial involvement. This theoretical-clinical contribution argues that media pressure, courtesy stigma, and judicial secondary victimization affecting the offender’s relatives are not merely an additional layer of suffering but obstacles to grief elaboration, fostering the encapsulation of trauma, its possible transgenerational transmission, and, ultimately, suicidal outcomes among these secondary victims. Literature on post-traumatic stress disorder, prolonged grief disorder, secondary victimization, social stigma, transgenerational transmission of trauma, and suicide risk was selectively reviewed and integrated with psychodynamic and systemic-relational frameworks, using a composite, de-identified illustrative vignette as a clinical-narrative frame. Homicide survivors, especially in intrafamilial contexts, show high rates of persistent distress and suicidal ideation; the non-recognition of grief, imposed silence, and the transformation of social unspeakability into psychic burial offer a pathway through which unprocessed trauma is transmitted across generations. Preventing suicide among secondary victims requires multidisciplinary protocols and responsible media communication.

Downloads

PDF
Authors

Mariangela Boccardi - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples. https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6173-5704

Alessandra Mugnolo - General Practice, Acerra, Italy

Claudia Tucci - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples.

Beatrice Morigine - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples.

Carlo Auriemma - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples.

Giammarco Esposito - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples

Valeria Pierro - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8890-316X

Federica Domestico - Local Health Authority Naples 3 South (ASL Napoli 3 Sud), Naples

Caterina Ceparano - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples https://orcid.org/0009-0005-7970-5744

Alessio Figliuolo - Department of Neuroscience, Reproductive Sciences and Dentistry, University of Naples Federico II, Naples https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9736-2042

Giuseppina Affinito - Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, University of Naples Federico II, Naples

License

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Copyright

Copyright (c) 2026 Italian Journal of Psychiatry

How to Cite
Boccardi, M., Mugnolo, A., Tucci, C., Morigine, B., Auriemma, C., Esposito, G., Pierro, V., Domestico, F., Ceparano, C., Figliuolo, A., & Affinito, G. (2026). Homicide, Transgenerational Trauma, and Suicide Risk: A Theoretical-Clinical Analysis of Secondary Victims and Preventive Strategies: Secondary victims of homicide and suicide risk. Italian Journal of Psychiatry, 12(3). https://doi.org/10.36180/2421-4469-2025-2658
  • Abstract viewed - 0 times
  • PDF downloaded - 0 times