Intimate partner violence at the scene: incident characteristics and implications for public health surveillance

Involvement of Guns in Nonfatal Conflict Between Adult Children and Their Parents

The objectives of the present analyses are to examine the frequency, nature, and correlates of nonfatal gun use in incidents of conflict between adult children and their parents, to which police were summoned. A cross-sectional study design was used with all cases of domestic violence to which police were called between adult children and their parents, in Philadelphia, PA, in 2013 (N = 6,248). Data were drawn from forms required to be completed by police when responding to domestic violence calls for assistance. A series of multivariate logistic regression models were estimated. Of the 6,248 incidents, 5,486 involved no weapon, 522 involved a bodily weapon, 190 involved a non-gun external weapon, and 50 involved a gun. Guns were most often used to threaten victims (66%), with guns less often fired (6%) or used to pistol whip victims (4%). Compared to incidents involving a bodily weapon, when guns were involved, offenders were less likely to have pushed, grabbed, or punched the victim and victims were less likely to have visible injuries; however, offenders were more likely to have threatened victims and victims were more likely to be observed as frightened. Police officers intervened similarly to incidents involving guns vs. bodily weapons. This is the first study we are aware of to focus on nonfatal gun use between family members who are not intimate partners, with the results extending much of what is known regarding nonfatal gun use among intimate partners to nonfatal gun use among adult children and parents.

The Trinidad and Tobago Covid-19 Domestic Violence Victimization and Perpetration Study

Purpose

While there is available scholarship in the Global North on DV victimization and perpetration during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a dearth of similar scholarship in the Global South. With this in mind, the Trinidad and Tobago COVID-19 Domestic Violence Victimization and Perpetration study was conducted in an attempt to fill that void.

Method

An online questionnaire containing a qualitative component was used to gather data aimed at determining whether DV victimization and perpetration had increased during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as possible contributory factors. Participants were 602 married or cohabiting adult citizens in Trinidad and Tobago.

Results

The results indicated that overall there was an increase in DV perpetration (13%) as well as an increase in DV victimization (16%) among the sampled population. The results also indicated that males (17%) and females (13%) in the sample engaged in increased levels of DV perpetration, while males (25%) and females (12%) were victims of increased DV victimization. Six themes emanated from the qualitative component of the study, namely: isolation/Covid-19 restrictions, lack of assistance for victims, male fear of reporting DV, work as a safe space, mental health effects and job loss.

Conclusion

The findings revealed increased DV perpetration and victimization among the study's participants. These findings have implications for policymakers in Trinidad and Tobago.

Usability of two brief questions as a screening tool for domestic violence and effect of #MeToo on prevalence of self-reported violence

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Domestic violence is a major public health problem that violates human rights.

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In long-lasting and frequent violence, the victim is usually a woman.

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Being a victim of domestic violence is a highly intimate and stigmatising experience and thus difficult to screen.

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Even broad social media movements such as #MeToo do not necessarily facilitate screening.

Objective

Domestic violence is a hidden epidemic. We used a two-question screening tool to explore the prevalence of domestic violence among gynaecological outpatients. We also retrospectively assessed whether there was a change in the prevalence rate of self-reported violence after the launch of the #MeToo movement.

Study design

Over an 11-month period, all gynaecological first-time visitors to our outpatient clinic were asked two dichotomous questions that screened for domestic violence and examined whether the violence had an ongoing impact on the respondent’s everyday life. We used logistic regression models to assess whether the launch of #MeToo was associated with the answers to these two questions.

Results

Of the 6,957 screened women, 154 (2.2 %) tested positive for domestic violence. Among the screen-positive women, 87 (56.5 %) reported that the violence affected their health and well-being. Of these 87 women, 52.9 % wanted further support and 72.4 % had already contacted psychiatric care. Out of all of the patients, the proportion of screen-positive respondents was 2.3 % before and 2.2 % after #MeToo. We did not detect increased odds of self-reporting domestic violence (odds ratio 0.97, 95 % confidence interval 0.70–1.36) or its ongoing impact on the victim’s everyday life (odds ratio 1.05, 95 % confidence interval 0.53–2.07) after #MeToo.

Conclusions

Our two-question screening tool detected a lower prevalence of domestic violence among gynaecological outpatients than previous reports examining the general population. Our results illustrate the dire challenges in screening for domestic violence that persist even in the post-#MeToo era. Domestic violence remains a highly intimate, stigmatising, and underreported health issue, and systematic measures to screen for and prevent it should be advocated, both in gynaecological patients and the general population.

Rural Victimization and Policing during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rural criminal justice organizations have been overlooked by researchers and underfunded in the United States, exacerbating problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Access to victims' services has been a longstanding issue in rural communities, but has become more difficult due to stay-at-home orders and changes in daily activities. Requirements such as social distancing, necessitated by COVID-19, have increased the risk of domestic violence and rural service providers are less prepared than those in more populated areas. Rural law enforcement agencies, on the other hand, have traditionally operated with smaller budgets and staffs-conditions that have complicated the response to the unprecedented event. Many of the recommended practices for policing during a pandemic have been more applicable to larger urban and suburban departments with more resources and officers extended across many units. The strain on rural victims' services and law enforcement has been felt only a few months into the coronavirus pandemic, while the long-term effects are not yet known.

Removing Firearms From Those Prohibited From Possession by Domestic Violence Restraining Orders: A Survey and Analysis of State Laws

Under federal and many state laws, persons under domestic violence restraining orders (DVROs) are prohibited from possession of firearms. Using multiple sources and a Lexis Nexis search, we developed a list of state laws pertaining to the relinquishment or removal of firearms from persons prohibited from possession by DVROs. After downloading the text of each law, we conducted a legal analysis to enumerate provisions of the laws specifying implementation. We found 49 laws in 29 states and Washington, DC. The laws were conceptualized as instructions to the court, the respondent, and law enforcement. We detail the content of each state's law, including such elements as whether it applies to ex parte DVROs; whether certain criteria must be met, such as previous use of a firearm in domestic violence or lack of an employment exemption, before the law can be applied; and whether the application of the law is mandatory. We also detail instructions to the respondent regarding to whom firearms may be relinquished, whether the respondent must seek permission to transfer the firearm to a third party, and the time by which dispossession must occur. Finally, whether law enforcement bears the responsibility for removing the firearm or whether the law gives the court the authority to order a search and seizure for the firearms is discussed. The purpose of the research is to provide an overview of these state laws that can be used by key stakeholders in legislative, judicial, advocacy, or research roles. Implications are discussed.

Alcohol outlets, neighborhood characteristics, and intimate partner violence: ecological analysis of a California city

Neighborhood indicators of social disadvantage, such as poverty and unemployment, are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). Despite the well-established link between heavy drinking and IPV, few studies have analyzed the contribution of alcohol outlet density to the occurrence of IPV. Greater numbers of alcohol outlets in a community may be a sign of loosened normative constraints against violence, promote problem drinking among at-risk couples, and provide environments where groups of persons at risk for IPV may form and mutually reinforce IPV-related attitudes, norms, and problem behaviors. This study used ecological data to determine if alcohol outlet density (number of bars, restaurants serving alcohol, and off-premise outlets per unit area) is related to rates of IPV-related police calls and IPV-related crime reports in Sacramento, California. Separate analyses for IPV calls and crime reports were conducted using Bayesian space-time models adjusted for area characteristics (poverty rate, unemployment rate, racial/ethnic composition). The results showed that each additional off-premise alcohol outlet is associated with an approximate 4% increase in IPV-related police calls and an approximate 3% increase in IPV-related crime reports. Bars and restaurants were not associated with either outcome. The findings suggest that alcohol outlet density, especially off-premise outlets, appear to be related to IPV events. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms by which neighborhood factors, such as alcohol outlet density, affect IPV behaviors. Understanding these mechanisms is of public health importance for developing environmental IPV prevention strategies, such as changes in zoning, community action, education, and enforcement activities.