The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

4137.0: Tuesday, November 12, 2002 - Board 6

Abstract #52467

Profiling Assaults Against Women in Emergency Department Data: The Implications for Screening and Intervention in Medical Settings

Angela Martin, PhD, Center for Collaborative Research in Health/Outcomes and Policy, Michigan Public Health Institute, 2440 Woodlake Circle, Suite 100, Okemos, MI 48864, 517-324-8381, amartin@MPHI.org

This paper presents the results of a first analysis of assault against women cases who presented to Michigan Emergency Departments (EDs) in 1999 and 2000. The Michigan Emergency Department Community Injury Information Network (MEDCIIN), a surveillance system of injuries seen in EDs, was developed in 1999 using a voluntary sample of 23 hospitals in Michigan. MEDCIIN injury data were used to identify and gather additional information on assault cases against women aged sixteen or older as part of Michigan’s Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) surveillance system. Cases recognized as IPV were compared to other assault against women cases where the assault was perpetrated by family members, other known persons, or strangers. Chi square tests were used to measure significant differences between groups. A sample of 2,210 assault cases involving women age 16 or older where the victim-perpetrator relationship was known was identified. Approximately 12% of the assaults were perpetrated by strangers, 12% by family members, 26% by other known persons, and 51% by intimate partners. Although few differences were found between IPV cases and all other assault cases, a number of significant differences were found between groups distinguished by victim-perpetrator relationship. For example, the age profiles of assault cases varied significantly with victim-perpetrator relationship (p<.001), as did payment source (p<.001), and number, type, and mechanism of injury. The research is significant, as little work has explored the differences found within assault against women cases and their implications for screening and intervention in medical settings.

Learning Objectives:

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Latebreaker Posters in Injury Control

The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA