Elderly caregiving-related homicides committed by family caregivers and other relatives in Japan

This study examined 260 cases of elderly caregiving-related homicides in Japan from 2005 to 2024, in which victims aged ≥ 60 years were killed by family caregivers or relatives. Multiple correspondence analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis identified three types. Type 1 ("Early elderly offenders/family victims") showed that husband or wife offenders in their 60s who killed their spouses suffering with pessimism or stroke. In another type 1, daughters in their 60s who killed their mothers in their 90s corresponding to "rourou-kaigo" [elderly care by the elderly] in Japan). Type 2 ("Older elderly offenders/spouse victims") included unemployed offenders in their 70s-80s. Type 3 ("Middle-aged offenders/parent victims") involved employed son offenders in their 40s-50s. A co-occurrence network analysis of the offenders' statements also supported these findings. This study revealed the necessity of providing adequate support for each type (e.g. local community collaboration for Type 2 and workplace support for Type 3).