Grief and delivering a statement in court: a longitudinal mixed-method study among homicidally bereaved people

Background: Participating in a criminal trial may increase the likelihood of developing psychopathology. In 2021, people bereaved by a plane disaster (flight MH17) had the opportunity to deliver a victim personal statement (VPS) in Dutch court.Objective: This longitudinal mixed-method study examined different aspects of 84 bereaved people's experiences with VPS delivery.Method: Motivations to deliver, or not deliver, an oral VPS were examined qualitatively using thematic content analysis. Whether background and loss-related variables were related to the decision to deliver a VPS was examined using binary logistic regression analyses. Between-group (delivered VPS vs. did not) and within-group (pre- vs. post-VPS) comparisons were made regarding prolonged grief disorder (PGD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression levels using t-tests and paired t-tests.Results: Bereaved people were most frequently motivated to deliver an oral VPS to describe the impact of the incident, while those who did not deliver an oral VPS commonly wanted to protect themselves from the perceived emotional burden. None of the correlates - i.e. biological sex, age, level of education, number of losses, and (closest) relationship to the deceased - were related to the decision to deliver a VPS. Lastly, significantly higher PGD, PTSD, and depression levels were reported by people who delivered a VPS than those who did not, before and after the court hearing. No significant within-group differences were found over time.Conclusions: Professionals may provide emotional support to bereaved people who want to deliver a VPS and manage their expectations if they want to deliver a VPS for the purpose of symptom reduction. Future research may benefit from examining other ways in which VPS delivery might have beneficial or detrimental effects for specific individuals. Overall, implementing VPS delivery in court on the basis of emotional restoration remains empirically unsupported, if defined as a reduction in psychopathological levels.

[Mortality of women with reported violence during pregnancy in Brazil: a case-control study]

This study aimed to characterize the main causes of death of women with notification of interpersonal violence during pregnancy and to identify the factors associated with these deaths. This is a case-control study conducted based on relating data on violence to deaths that occurred in Brazil from 2011 to 2017. Data from the Braziliam Information System for Notificable Diseases and the Brazilian Mortality Information System were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. The results showed that 56.4% of the deaths were due to external causes, and 80.1% of which were due to femicide. The following risk factors associated with death were identified: age group from 30 to 39 years (OR = 2.53; 95%CI: 1.01-6.59); firearm assault (OR = 14.21; 95%CI: 4.58-31.86); and by piercing-cutting objects (OR = 4.45; 95%CI: 1.01-22.73). Being married/in a stable union (OR = 0.48; 95%CI: 0.24-0.93); having more than four years of schooling (OR = 0.21; 95%CI: 0.06-0.63); and living in municipalities with a population over 100,000 inhabitants (OR = 0.23; 95%CI: 0.10-0.52) were observed as protective factors. The study was important due to demonstrating the magnitude of femicide among women with notification of violence during pregnancy, as well as the weaknesses in producing information on the external causes of death in the pregnancy-puerperal period. The study also evinced the factors that make women vulnerable to death, reinforcing the urgent need for health professionals to screen for violence during pregnancy.

Spatial modeling of homicide mortality in the Northeast region of Brazil

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of homicide mortality and association with social determinants of health in the Northeast Region of Brazil.

METHODS

Ecological study with spatiotemporal modeling of homicide deaths between 2000 and 2019. Temporal trends were analyzed by segmented linear regression. Crude mortality was calculated and adjusted by smoothing the local empirical Bayesian method and analyzed by the Global/Local Moran Index and spatiotemporal scan statistics. The association between social determinants of health and homicide mortality was performed using multiple linear regression and autoregressive spatial models.

RESULTS

353,089 deaths were recorded. Mortality increased from 2000 to 2019, with an annual increase of 4.37 in males and 3.57 in females. High risk spatial and spatiotemporal clusters were identified in the coastal region of the states. The spatial regression model showed an association with socioeconomic inequalities.

CONCLUSIONS

High risk areas for homicides associated with socioeconomic inequality, which should be considered as a priority for designing and investing in public health policies were investigated.