Prevalence of domestic violence in an inpatient female population

Abstract

Studies have evaluated the prevalence of domestic violence in populations of patients in emergency and primary care settings, but there are little data on patients admitted to hospitals. We undertook a study to evaluate the prevalence of domestic violence among female inpatients. Of 131 consecutive female patients between the ages of 18 and 60 admitted to a nontrauma urban teaching hospital asked to complete a self-administered survey about domestic violence, 101 completed the questionnaire. Twenty-six percent of the respondents reported being in an abusive relationship at one time. Domestic violence accounts for one third of all intentional assaults against women, and it is a significant risk factor for suicide, substance abuse, and chronic somatic disorders. 1,2 Studies of patients in outpatient and emergency settings have shown prevalence rates from 8% to 54% and incidence rates of 9% to 14%. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Little is known about the degree to which domestic violence contributes to inpatient admissions of women. This study investigates domestic violence in female inpatients and its relation to inpatient admissions. METHODSA 32-item questionnaire was developed to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of domestic violence in women admitted to an urban, nontrauma hospital with 277 beds. The questionnaire included nine questions about demographic information and seven questions about violence within the individual's neighborhood. One question asked about violence within intimate relationships: "At any time, has a husband or partner ever hit you, kicked you, or physically hurt you?" A woman responding affirmatively to this question was identified as having experienced domestic violence, and these women were asked another 14 questions about the violence they had experienced as well as medical treatment they had received for injuries resulting from the violence.Female patients admitted consecutively from October through December 1994 were evaluated for entry into the study. Patients were excluded from the study if they could not speak English, or were too ill to cooperate. Women under age 18 or over age 60 were excluded because the mandated reporting requirements for minors and elders would potentially reduce the response rate for all age groups. Consent was obtained from patients in their hospital rooms with no friends or family present. The questionnaire was either self-administered (77%) or verbally administered by one of the investigators (23%) depending on patient preference. Each patient's medical record was abstracted for demographic information and for whether any nurse or physician documented screening for domestic violence in the patient's admitting notes.Proportions were compared using 2 analysis, with 95% confidence intervals (CI) included. RESULTSDuring the study period, 195 women between 18 and 60 years of age were admitted; 64 women were excluded because of admission to an intensive care unit or intubation ( n ϭ 42), altered mental status ( n ϭ 11), inability to understand English ( n ϭ 9), or iso...

Oral injuries in victims involving intimate partner violence

“…The high prevalence of this phenomenon has given rise to an increasing number of publications on DV and IPV, regarding the signs, symptoms, diagnosis [5][6][7] and even the medical-professional role in the treatment and guidance of the survivors [8]. IPV has profound health consequences: abused women are more likely to have physical and psychological problems, including reproductive problems, depression, psychosomatic disorders, and limitations in social functioning [9].…”

History of domestic violence and health service use among mid‐aged Australian women

“…For example, lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 20% in a nationally representative survey in the United States (US), 1 compared with 26% for hospitalised women. 2 Furthermore, 51% of women attending an outpatient clinic 3 reported having experienced domestic violence. In studies done using data from hospital emergency departments in the US, lifetime prevalence of domestic violence has varied from 33% to 54%.…”

Intimate partner violence in women hospitalized on an internal medicine service: Prevalence and relationship to responses to the review of systems

“…To the best of our knowledge, the only study presenting IPV prevalence data in patients hospitalized for other than psychiatric problems was performed by McKenzie and colleagues 18 in 1997. In their group of 130 patients (61 on internal medicine, 59 on surgery, 7 on obstetrics, and 3 on psychiatry), the 1-year and lifetime prevalences of IPV were only 5% and 26%, respectively.…”

“…1,2,4,5,10,[12][13][14] Although reports indicate that victims of IPV are more likely to be hospitalized, [15][16][17] the only study assessing the prevalence of IPV in hospitalized patients included women on medical, surgical, and obstetrical services and reported 1-year and lifetime prevalences of only 5% and 23%, respectively. 18 We hypothesized that the prevalence of IPV in hospitalized patients would be at least as high as that reported from emergency departments and sought to measure the 1-year and lifetime prevalences of IPV in women admitted to a general internal medicine service. In addition, because studies done in various outpatient settings have reported that victims of IPV have a variety of somatic complaints and an increased prevalence of chronic and functional illnesses, [19][20][21][22][23] we also sought to determine whether women with a history of IPV and women without a history of IPV had different numbers or types of positive responses to questions asked on the review of systems.…”