Gjelsvik A, Verhoek-Oftedahl W, Pearlman D; Academy for Health Services Research and Health Policy. Meeting.
Abstr Acad Health Serv Res Health Policy Meet. 2002; 19: 7.
Brown University, Box G-A4, Providence, RI 02912; Tel: (401) 863-9620; Fax: (401) 863-3713; E-mail: Annie_Gjelsvik@brown.edu
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: To determine the proportion of police-reported domestic violence incidents that are witnessed by children and examine the characteristics of an incident associated with having a child witness. This study also examined the number and ages of children who witness each incident. STUDY DESIGN: Data for this paper were provided by the Rhode Island (RI) Department of Health Violence Against Women Public Health Surveillance system (VAWPHS). The RI Domestic Violence police-reporting form was used to determine presence of child witness and extent of witnessing (see or hear). Characteristics of the incident (victim gender, age, race/ethnicity, relationship to suspect, and incident location) and severity of incident (victim injured, required medical attention, and weapon use), were then examined to determine correlates associated with having a domestic violence incident witnessed by a child. A subset of the data was also analyzed to determine number and ages of children witnessing each incident. POPULATION STUDIED: Analyses are based on data 12,682 incidents collected in 1996-1998 from the police reporting form. This form is completed by police for each reported incident of domestic violence or sexual assault. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Our analysis found that almost half (44%) of police-reported domestic violence incidents were witnessed by children. Victim gender and relationship with suspect were associated with having a child witness the domestic violence incident. Having a female compared to a male victim was associated with a thirty-six percent increase in having at least one child witness. Just over two thirds of incidents in which the victim and suspect had a child in common but had never been married had at least one child witness compared to fifty-seven percent of incidents in which the victim and suspect had been married. More than half (54.2%) of the domestic violence incidents had only one child witness. Among the children who witnessed domestic violence incidents, almost half (47%) were not yet school age and among children who witnessed domestic violence incidents resulting in the victim requiring medical attention greater than half (57%) were not yet school age. CONCLUSIONS: This study has demonstrated that, in RI, children witness almost half of all police-reported domestic violence incidents. The majority of children present at incidents in which the victim was injured or, if injured, required medical attention were five years old or younger. These children may not be as easily identified as requiring help by other sources as children who are school age. Thus, the entrance of the victim into the medical system is an opportunity to identify and provide services, not only for the victim, but also for children who may have witnessed the incident. IMPLICATIONS FOR POLICY, DELIVERY OR PRACTICE: Surveillance of domestic violence by state health departments and identification of children at risk to witness domestic violence.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Child
- Child Behavior
- Child Development
- Child Psychology
- Child Welfare
- Domestic Violence
- Female
- Humans
- Male
- Police
- Population Surveillance
- Rhode Island
- Risk Management
- Violence
- economics
- epidemiology
- injuries
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102274282
From Meeting Abstracts