Risk factors for injury to women from domestic violence

Background: Domestic violence is the most common cause of nonfatal injury t o women in the United States. To identify risk factors for such injuries, w e examined the socioeconomic and behavioral characteristics of women who we re victims of domestic violence and the men who injured them. Methods: We conducted a case-control study at eight large, university-affil iated emergency departments. The 256 intentionally injured women had acute injuries resulting from a physical assault by a male partner. The 659 contr ols were women treated for other conditions in the emergency department. In formation was collected with a standardized questionnaire; no information w as obtained directly from the male partners. Results: The 256 intentionally injured women had a total of 434 contusions and abrasions, 89 lacerations, and 41 fractures and dislocations. In a mult ivariate analysis, the characteristics of the partners that were most close ly associated with an increased risk of inflicting injury as a result of do mestic violence were alcohol abuse (adjusted relative risk, 3.6; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.2 to 5.9); drug use (adjusted relative risk, 3.5; 9 5 percent confidence interval, 2.0 to 6.4); intermittent employment (adjust ed relative risk, 3.1; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 8.8); recent unemployment (adjusted relative risk, 2.7; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 6.5); having less than a high-school education (adjusted relative ri sk, 2.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.4 to 4.4); and being a former hu sband, estranged husband, or former boyfriend (adjusted relative risk, 3.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.5 to 8.3). Conclusions: Women at greatest risk for injury from domestic violence inclu de those with male partners who abuse alcohol or use drugs, are unemployed or intermittently employed, have less than a high-school education, and are former husbands, estranged husbands, or former boyfriends of the women. (N Engl J Med 1999;341:1892-8.) (C)1999, Massachusetts Medical Society. (C)19 99, Massachusetts Medical Society.