Rates and relative risk of hospital admission among women in violent intimate partner relationships

Abstract

Objectives. This study assessed the history of hospitalization among women involved in violent intimate relationships.Methods. In this 1-year retrospective cohort study, female residents of King County, Washington, who were aged 18 to 44 years and who had filed for a protection order were compared with nonabused women in the same age group. Outcome measures included overall and diagnosis-specific hospital admission rates and relative risk of hospitalization associated with abuse.Results. Women known to be exposed to a violent intimate relationship were significantly more likely to be hospitalized with any diagnosis (age-specific relative risks [RRs] ranging from 1.2 to 2.1), psychiatric diagnoses (RR = 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]=2.8, 4.6), injury and poisoning diagnoses (RR = 1.8, 95% CI=1.2, 2.8), digestive system diseases (RR = 1.9, 95% CI = 1.3, 2.9), and diagnoses of assault (RR = 4.9, 95% CI=1.1, 22.1) or attempted suicide (RR= 3.7, 95% CI=1.6,9.2) in the year before filing a protection order.Conclusions. This study showed an increased relative risk of both overall and diagnosis-specific hospitalizations among abused women. Intimate partner violence has a significant impact on women's health and use of health care. (Am J Pub-

Intimate Partner Violence and Neighborhood Income

“…We included the following individual-level exposures (collected at the index abuse event) available through the Seattle Police Department database, all of which have been shown to be significantly associated with intimate partner violence occurrence and/or recurrence: victim and perpetrator race/ethnicity (Caetano, Cunradi, Clark, & Schafer, 2000; Cunradi et al, 1999; Thompson et al, 2006); perpetrator drug/alcohol use (Cunradi et al, 1999; Cunradi et al, 2002; Fals-Stewart et al, 2003); victim pregnancy (Campbell et al, 2003; Cokkinides et al, 1999; McFarlane et al, 1992; McFarlane & Wiist, 1997; Nemeth et al, 2012; O’Campo et al, 1995); abuse type (physical and/or non-physical); weapon involvement (guns, rifles, knives, or vehicles; Campbell et al, 2003; Moracco, Runyan, & Butts, 2003); victim injury (Bonomi, Anderson, Reid, et al, 2009; Kernic, Wolf, & Holt, 2000); and arrest of the perpetrator (Berk, Campbell, Klap, & Western, 1992; Dunford, Huizinga, & Elliot, 1990; Hirschel, Hutchison, & Dean, 1992; Pate & Hamilton, 1992; Sherman & Berk, 1984; Sherman et al, 1991). For example, victim pregnancy is one of the strongest predictors of intimate partner violence, for increasing violence severity, and for intimate femicide (Campbell et al, 2003; Cokkinides et al, 1999; McFarlane et al, 1992; McFarlane & Wiist, 1997; Nemeth et al, 2012; O’Campo et al, 1995).…”

Intimate Partner Survivors’ Help-Seeking and Protection Efforts: A Person-Oriented Analysis

“…Moreover, IPV survivors use health care services at least as often as women who are not violence survivors (Plichta, 2007), and some research shows that survivors use health care more than women who are not violence survivors, including prescriptions and hospital admissions (Coker, Derrick, Lumpkin, Aldrich, & Oldendick, 2000; Kernic, Wolf, & Holt, 2000; Tolman & Rosen, 2001). Inclusion of recent health combines with injury status in assessing how current physical functional capacity combines with psychosocial vulnerabilities and assets to affect help-seeking and protective actions.…”

Sleep Disturbance Partially Mediates the Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Physical/Mental Health in Women and Men

“…Women who have experienced IPV report poorer overall health status and a greater number of physical symptoms (Dutton, Goodman, Lennig, & Murphy, 2004; Hurwitz, Gupta, Liu, Silverman, & Raj, 2006; Lown & Vega, 2001; Sutherland, Sullivan, & Bybee, 2001) as well as hospitalizations (Kernic, Wolf, & Holt, 2000). Specifically, victims of IPV report headaches, gastrointestinal difficulties, dizziness, fainting, hypertension, chest pain, smoking, and substance use (Campbell, 2002; Campbell & Lewandowski, 1997; Holt, Kernic, Lumley, Wolf, & Rivara, 2002; Kernic et al, 2000; McCauley, Kern, Kolodner, Derogatis, & Bass, 1998; Resnick, Acierno, & Kilpatrick, 1997). Smoking and substance use among those who experience IPV further perpetuate the cycle of health compromising behaviors, as they are associated with the development of various cancers and other chronic diseases (Gandini et al, 2008; Rehm et al, 2009; Wells, Golding, & Burnam, 1989).…”