Homicidally aggressive young children: neuropsychiatric and experiential correlates.

Of 55 children admitted to a children's psychiatric service, 21 were homicidally aggressive. Psychiatric symptoms and diagnoses did not distinguish these children from the nonhomicidal children, but the homicidally aggressive children were significantly more likely to 1) have a father who behaved violently, often homicidally, 2) have had a seizure, 3) have attempted suicide, and 4) have a mother who had been hospitalized for a psychiatric disorder. The authors explore explanations for the contribution of these factors to juvenile violence.