Exposure to Community Violence Among Urban Emergency Department (ED) Patients

Background/Purpose: Most studies on violence and women are primarily focused on gender-specific violence. Yet, there is evidence to suggest that exposure to community violence has a negative impact on Black women's psychological functioning. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of exposure to community violence among female patients and visitors at three urban hospital Emergency Departments (EDs). Methods: Using touch-screen computer kiosks, 1475 female patients and visitors in 3 urban hospitals were screened in the ED waiting room for exposure to community violence as part of a study screening women and providing referrals for IPV, along with a variety of other health conditions and behaviors. Results: Fifteen percent of women who answered the community violence questions reported being attacked in their neighborhood in the past year. The majority of these women were attacked by someone they knew (66%). Additionally, 12% of respondents reported witnessing violence in their neighborhood in the past year. The majority of them knew the people involved (58%), with most of the victims being friends, partners, or family members (60%). Furthermore, 47% of women who experienced violence in their community screened positive for depression versus 25% of those didn't experience any violence (c² = 19.13, <.001). Conclusion: Adult women are exposed to community violence either victims or witnesses at fairly high rates. Women exposed to community violence were almost twice as likely as other women to report depressive symptoms. Considerations of violence in the lives of women are incomplete without examining community violence.