Original CommunicationDemographic and socioeconomic risk factors of adult violent victimization from an accident and emergency department and forensic medicine perspective: A register-based case-control study
Introduction
The relation between interpersonal violence and demographic and socioeconomic factors is being increasingly recognised. Patient population studies based on unselected emergency department (ED) contacts have revealed that adult victims of violence are frequently males, living alone, poorly educated, unemployed, having a low income, and living in inadequate social conditions.[1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7]
A Scottish case-control study based on unselected ED victims revealed a significantly higher unemployment rate and deprivation score among victims than among controls.8 Conversely, a similar British study showed no association between unemployment or socioeconomic status and violence.9 US ED case-control studies have shown that poor education, high unemployment rate, low income, high rate of change in residence, social isolation, and receipt of government monetary assistance are related to an increased risk of violent victimization among females.[10], [11], [12] Another US case-control study found an association between high education or high income and female-to-female non-intimate partner violence.10 However, the selection methods of controls and the small sample sizes make comprehensive analyses impossible and limit the conclusions which can be drawn from previous studies. No previous larger ED and/or Forensic Medicine based case control studies have described demographic and socioeconomic risk factors of adult violent victimization.
Therefore, this study aims at describing demographic and socioeconomic risk factors of adult violent victimization leading to contact with an ED and/or an Institute of Forensic Medicine based on a larger case-control study using population-based controls.
Section snippets
Study population
The population base for the present study was Odense Municipality in Denmark for the period 1991–2002. Included as cases were all victims of physical deliberate interpersonal violence aged 20 years or more who attended the ED at Odense University Hospital or who were subjected to medico legal autopsy at the Institute of Forensic Medicine (IFM), University of Southern Denmark. Physical deliberate interpersonal violence was defined according to the World Health Organisation.13 Violent
Results
All together, 72% of the cases and controls were males and 28% were females. The median age of the cases and controls was 31 years (range, 20–96 years). The median age of males and females were 29 years (range, 20–94 years) and 36 years (range, 20–96 years), respectively (Mann-Whitney, p < 0.001).
Overall, the size and direction of the odds ratios for the crude and the semi-adjusted analyses did not differ. Therefore, only the results of the semi-adjusted analyses will be reported.
In the
Discussion
The present study is the first major case-control study of demographic and socioeconomic risk factors of adult violent victimization leading to ED and/or IFM contact using population-based controls. The most important demographic and socioeconomic factors positively associated with ED and/or IFM contact due to violent victimization were being a pensioner, being unemployed, not living with a partner, and a low annual household gross income. Conversely, being a student was the most important
Conclusions
Our findings emphasize the multifaceted nature of injuries from deliberate interpersonal violence. Future studies should include additional factors such as psychological or psychiatric disorders, somatic health, and alcohol or drug abuse analysed in the models. We believe that findings from this study have indicated potential risk factors such as being a pensioner, low income, and unemployment, which should be specifically addressed when planning future preventive strategies. Conversely,
Conflict of interest
The authors work was independent of the funding sources.
Acknowledgements
This study was made possible by grants from the Institute of Clinical Research at the University of Southern Denmark, the Dagmar Marshall Foundation, Østifterne Insurance Company, Grethe and Sigurd Pedersen’s Foundation, and the Funen County.
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