Citation

Desmarais SL, Van Dorn RA, Johnson KL, Grimm KJ, Douglas KS, Swartz MS. Am. J. Public Health 2014; 104(12): 2342-2349.

Affiliation

Sarah L. Desmarais and Kiersten L. Johnson are with the Department of Psychology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh. Richard A. Van Dorn is with the Behavioral Health Epidemiology Program, RTI International, Durham, NC. Kevin J. Grimm is with the Department of Psychology, University of California Davis. Kevin S. Douglas is with the Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia. Marvin S. Swartz is with the Division Head of Social and Community Psychiatry and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Public Health Association)

DOI

10.2105/AJPH.2013.301680

PMID

24524530

Abstract

Objectives. In a large heterogeneous sample of adults with mental illnesses, we examined the 6-month prevalence and nature of community violence perpetration and victimization, as well as associations between these outcomes. Methods. Baseline data were pooled from 5 studies of adults with mental illnesses from across the United States (n = 4480); the studies took place from 1992 to 2007. The MacArthur Community Violence Screening Instrument was administered to all participants. Results. Prevalence of perpetration ranged from 11.0% to 43.4% across studies, with approximately one quarter (23.9%) of participants reporting violence. Prevalence of victimization was higher overall (30.9%), ranging from 17.0% to 56.6% across studies. Most violence (63.5%) was perpetrated in residential settings. The prevalence of violence-related physical injury was approximately 1 in 10 overall and 1 in 3 for those involved in violent incidents. There were strong associations between perpetration and victimization. Conclusions. Results provided further evidence that adults with mental illnesses experienced violent outcomes at high rates, and that they were more likely to be victims than perpetrators of community violence. There is a critical need for public health interventions designed to reduce violence in this vulnerable population. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print February 13, 2014: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301680).

Language: en