Homicide-Suicide in Brazil: an analysis of cases reported in 2023

Abstract

This study investigated news coverage of homicide-suicide in Brazil in 2023, aiming to dimension the problem of violent, traumatic, and complex behavior. Using Google, 118 journalistic articles containing specific terms were gathered. The analysis was divided into two stages: (1) collection of descriptive statistics, including frequency by state, gender of victims and perpetrators, location of occurrence, and relationship between victims and perpetrators; and (2) content analysis of the news using IRaMuTeQ software, focusing on the structure and organization of information. Results indicate that homicide-suicide cases predominantly involve male perpetrators and female victims in heteronormative relationships, reflecting issues of gender and sexuality, as described in international literature. The use of firearms in most cases also follows previous research. In addition to having a higher occurrence in the Southeast and South regions, the news often exposes explicit details about crimes, raising concerns about media coverage of these events. We propose that homicide-suicide in Brazil constitutes a health and public safety issue and that it is necessary to differentiate between isolated cases of homicide and suicide to effectively address it. Therefore, legal provisions should include formal, grouped records of these deaths, highlighting the existence of this behavior and contributing to knowledge production.

Keywords:
Homicide-suicide; Feminicide; Mental health; Public safety