Unveiling the Dark Nexus: A systematic review on the interplay of mental health, substance abuse, and socio-cultural factors in femicide

A shared definition of femicide would help to distinguish it from the murder of a woman and understand its root causes favoring prevention. We conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) to assess how (and if) femicide cases were related to mental disorders. Articles papers that explicitly define or discuss femicides or articles that, albeit not expressly mention femicides, thoroughly compare generic homicides and homicides with female victims. We analyse 3546 articles were retrieved from the databases, and 75 studies fulfilled the eligibility criteria and were included in the SLR. Many forms of femicide emerge worldwide as people's values, beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours evolve (intimate partner femicide, femicide-suicide, religious femicide, honour, revolt femicide) and state of vulnerability. A tiny percentage of femicides occur at the hands of subjects with diagnosed mental disorders, and controversies exist regarding the possible link between femicide and the use of drugs and/or alcohol and other factors. The complex problem of violence against women must be addressed with a transdisciplinary approach and targeted interventions for both the victims and the perpetrators. The present SLR shows that it is not possible to link femicides to mental disorders and that socio and cultural factors appear to be more relevant. Further quantitative research is warranted to disentangle the root causes of this heinous phenomenon plaguing our times. Our studies show that using the proposed definition of feminicide would help to delimit and adequately recognise violence in courtrooms, promote the culture of equality, and identify adequate policy strategies for prevention.