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Abstract
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INTRODUCTION: Patients in emergency departments (EDs) constitute a diverse population with multiple health related risk factors, many of which are associated with intimate partner violence (IPV). This paper examines the interaction effect of depression, PTSD, impulsivity, drug use, adverse childhood experiences, at-risk drinking, and having a hazardous drinker partner with gender on mutual physical (IPV) in an urban emergency department sample.
METHODS: Research assistants surveyed 1037 married, cohabiting, or partnered patients in face-to-face interviews (87% response rate) regarding IPV exposure, alcohol and drug use, psychological distress, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and other sociodemographic features. IPV was measured with the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale. Interaction effects were examined in multinomial and logistic models.
RESULTS: Results showed a significant interaction of gender and PTSD (OR=3.06; 95%CI=1.21-7.23; p<.05) for mutual IPV. Regarding main effects, there were also statistically significant positive associations between mutual physical IPV and at-risk drinking (OR:1.73; 95%CI:1.07-2.77; p<.05), having a hazardous drinker partner (OR:2.19; 95%CI:1.35-3.55; p<.01), illicit drug use (OR:2.09; 95%CI:1.18-3.71; p<.01), adverse childhood experiences (OR:1.23; 95%CI:1.06-1.42; p<.01), days of cannabis use past in the 12 months (OR:1.003; 95%CI:1.002-1.005; p<.001), and impulsivity (OR:2.04; 95%CI:1.29-3.22; p<.01).
CONCLUSION: IPV risk assessment in EDs will be more effective if implemented with attention to patients' gender and the presence of various and diverse other risk factors, especially PTSD.
Language: en |