256067 Racial/ethnic and nativity-related disparities intimate partner homicide against women in Massachusetts

Monday, October 29, 2012 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

Isabel Chen, MPH , Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Jhumka Gupta, MPH , Division of Public Health Practice/Department of Society, Human Development & Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA
Nalini Vadivelu, MD , Anesthesiology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT
Kyle Ragins, MD Candidate , School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT
Quynh Dang , Director of Refugee and Immigrant, GLBT, and Faith Communities Sexual and Domestic Violence ProgramsDepartment of Public Health, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Boston, MA
Minority racial and ethnic status has been shown to be highly associated with intimate partner homicide (IPH) with significant variation among certain groups. The present study sought to examine disparities in IPH based on 1) race/ethnicity and 2) immigrant status in Massachusetts between 1993-2009. Methods: Data on intimate partner homicides in Massachusetts from 1993-2009 (N=409) was obtained from the Massachusetts' Department of Public Health. Chi-square or Fisher's tests were conducted to measure associations between demographic measures and separate adjusted multivariate logistic regressions analyzed homicide rates by race, ethnicity, immigrant status, and time. Results: While Whites comprised the majority of the sample of IPH (60.6%), stratified analyses adjusting for age and time found Asians at highest risk for homicide (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] =11.1; 95% CI = 8.79, 14.10), followed by Blacks (AOR = 9.6; 95% CI = 8.17, 11.23) compared to Whites. Hispanics were 10.6 (95% CI = 8.76, 12.88) times more likely to die than non-Hispanics. Puerto Ricans were 0.70 times less likely than other Hispanics to be murdered. Foreign-born victims were 2.14 times (95% CI = 1.58, 290) more common than US-born victims. Conclusion: Disparities based on race/ethnicity and immigrant status were observed regarding IPH in Massachusetts. Additional work is needed to develop appropriate programs for the highest risk groups (e.g. Asians, immigrants). With a better understanding of the social context that may contribute to increased vulnerability among racial, ethnic and immigrant groups, IPV care providers, in collaboration with researchers, may develop evidence-based practices tailored to community-specific needs.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Program planning
Public health or related public policy
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Analyze the largest database on intimate partner violence in American history. Describe the victim demographics by race, ethnicity, and birthplace. Identify possible sociocultural theories for differences in victim rates.

Keywords: Asian Americans, Domestic Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: This research was done for my Master's thesis and is a product of my interest in minority health research and health disparities advocacy. I have worked with refugee health initiatives for over 3 years and am now pursuing a medical degree in Canada in hopes of combining my public health background into a clinical career.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3131.1: Family Violence Prevention with Under-served communities