Higher Rates Of Physical Violence Research Articles

Intersectional structural vulnerability to abusive policing among people who inject drugs: A mixed methods assessment in California's central valley

BackgroundAbusive and violent policing is an important determinant of health for people who inject drugs (PWID), which has been linked to structural vulnerability. However, further exploration of the intersectional nature of this vulnerability is warranted. California's Central Valley is a largely rural/suburban and politically conservative area, with high rates of injection drug use and overdose mortality, where rates of abusive policing of PWID have not been characterized. MethodsWe assessed self-reported experiences of abusive policing using a sequential mixed-methods approach, consisting of n = 54 in-depth qualitative interviews followed by a respondent driven survey of n = 494 PWID. Qualitative conclusions were used to guide the development a novel quantitative framework to explore intersectional structural vulnerability, drawing on UpSet visualization and multivariable logistic regression. ResultsQualitative analysis suggests that abusive policing is not random or isolated; instead it can be understood in the context of routinized police harassment of PWID, which can escalate into physical or other forms of violence. These cycles are mediated by various forms of social disadvantage—often articulated through the frame of “looking like a drug user”—with deep connections to markers of race, class, gender, occupation and other elements of personal identity. Quantitative results confirm high frequency of abusive encounters with police, including physical violence (42%), verbal abuse (62%), sexual violence (9%), and the confiscation of new/unused syringes (39%). Females report higher rates of sexual violence and exploitation (aOR= 4.2; 95% CI: 2.1–9.0) and males report higher rates of physical violence (aOR=3.6; 95% CI: 2.4–5.6) and all other outcomes. Experiencing homelessness, having traded sex, and living in a rural zip code, are independently associated with numerous forms of police abuse. Intersectional analysis reveals clusters of individuals with highly elevated vulnerability, and in general, having a greater number of vulnerability factors was associated with increased odds of police abuse. ConclusionsWe find that structural vulnerability is linked—in a highly intersectional manner—with experiencing abusive police encounters among PWID in California's Central Valley. Monitoring, prevention, and response to deleterious law enforcement practices must be integrated into structural interventions to protect vulnerable groups. Reform is especially urgent in rural/suburban areas that are increasingly important focal points to reduce social and health harms associated with injection drug use.

Alcohol use in family, domestic and other violence: Findings from a cross-sectional survey of the Australian population.

The link between alcohol and experience of violence is well-documented, but there is a paucity of empirical research on the role of alcohol specifically in family and domestic violence (FDV) in Australia. The aim of the current study was to describe the relationship between alcohol use and FDV in the Australian population, and to examine key differences between three different types of violence: family violence, intimate partner violence (IPV) and other violence. An online panel survey was conducted using a stratified random sampling design. In total, 5118 respondents were included, of whom 44.5% reported experiencing violence in their lifetime, and 6.0% reported recent (past year) experience of violence. Recent violent incidents were comprised of IPV (41.8%), family violence (13.1%) and other violence (45.1%). Approximately one-third of all violent incidents experienced (either as a victim or perpetrator) were alcohol-related, and 37.8% of respondents who experienced IPV and 27.8% of those who experienced family violence reported past year heavy-episodic drinking. Alcohol use was associated with higher rates of physical violence and injury at IPV incidents. Alcohol consumed at IPV incidents was most often purchased from a supermarket liquor store (37.0%) and consumed at the respondent's home, regardless of the distance between the purchase location and incident location. This study found that alcohol is frequently involved in FDV incidents, particularly IPV. Alcohol use was associated with a higher chance of physical violence and of injury at IPV incidents.

Physical Violence Inside Prisons

This study estimates prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate and staff-on-inmate physical victimization. Inmate participants were drawn from 13 adult male prisons and 1 female prison operated by a single mid-Atlantic state. A total of 7,221 men and 564 women participated. Rates of physical victimization varied significantly by gender, perpetrator, question wording, and facility. Prevalence rates of inmate-on-inmate physical violence in the previous 6 months were equal for males and females. Men had significantly higher rates of physical violence perpetrated by staff than by other inmates. By facility, inmate-on-inmate prevalence rates ranged from 129 to 346 per 1,000, whereas the range for staff-on-inmate was 83 to 321 per 1,000 (but the difference was not statistically significant).

The relationship between pregnancy intendedness and physical violence in mothers of newborns

To determine if pregnancy intendedness is associated with physical violence, and to identify factors that modify this association. Three to 6 months after delivery, we mailed a questionnaire to a population-based sample of 12,612 mothers of infants born during 1990 and 1991 in four states. We used multiple logistic regression to compute odds ratios. The state-specific prevalences (+/- standard error) of physical violence ranged from 3.8 +/- 0.5 to 6.9 +/- 0.8%; the prevalences of unwanted or mistimed pregnancies ranged from 36.9-46.3%. In each state, higher rates of physical violence were reported by women who had fewer than 12 years of education, lived in crowded conditions, participated in the Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children, received no or delayed prenatal care, or were of races other than white, under 20 years old, or not married. Regardless of other attributes, women with unwanted or mistimed pregnancies reported higher rates of physical violence than women with intended pregnancies and accounted for 70% of women who reported physical violence. Overall, women with unwanted pregnancies had 4.1 (95% confidence interval 2.7-6.2) times the odds of experiencing physical violence than did women with intended pregnancies. This association was weaker for women with few social advantages than for those with more advantages. Physical violence toward women during the periconceptional and antenatal periods occurs in all sociodemographic groups. Women with unwanted or mistimed pregnancies are at an increased risk for violence by their partners compared with women with intended pregnancies.

Physical Violence During the 12 Months Preceding Childbirth—Alaska, Maine, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, 1990-1991

This study examined the prevalence of physical violence against women during the 12 months preceding childbirth and its relation to maternal characteristics in Alaska Maine Oklahoma and West Virginia. Using the 1990 and the 1991 data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System varied percentages of women reporting physical abuse among the four states were noted: from 3.8% in Maine to 6.9% in Oklahoma. Overall the report indicated that in each state higher rates of physical violence were associated with low educational attainment race marital status age living conditions participation in prenatal care and unintended pregnancy. In addition this article cites recommendations for health care providers to be aware of the risk among all pregnant women; for efforts to effectively identify victims; for evaluations of intervention programs; and for further examinations of the patterns of violence during pregnancy.