Differentiating Among Attempted, Completed, and Multiple Nonfatal Strangulation in Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 253880
• Journal: Womens Health Issues Volume: 28 Issue: 1 Dated: January-February 2018 Pages: 104-111
• Author(s): Jill T. Messing; Michelle Patch; Janet Sullivan-Wilson; Gabor D. Kelen; Jacquelyn Campbell
• Date Published: February 2018
• Length: 8 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-WG-BX-0002
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Technical Assistance); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored); Program/Project Evaluation; Program/Project Description
• Award: Police Department''s use of Lethality Assessments: An Experimental Evaluation

Annotation

Because the identification of intimate partner violence (IPV) in health care settings is low and strangulation increases lethality risk among women experiencing IPV, this study examined the prevalence and correlates of nonfatal strangulation among 1,008 women survivors of IPV.

Abstract

Trained researchers conducted semistructured interviews with women survivors of IPV referred by police. Multinomial logistic regression examined differential correlates of attempted, completed, and multiple strangulation. Interviews were conducted with 71.14 percent of eligible women contacted by researchers. A high proportion (79.66 percent) of the women interviewed experienced attempted (11.70 percent), completed (30.16 percent), or multiple (37.80 percent) strangulation. Each form of strangulation was independently significantly associated with sexual violence when compared with no strangulation. African-American women were at increased risk of attempted, completed, and multiple strangulation. Compared with no strangulation, multiple strangulation was associated with more IPV injury and risk factors for homicide, including loss of consciousness and miscarriage. Women who had lost consciousness owing to strangulation were more likely to seek medical care than those who had been strangled but had not lost consciousness. The study concludes that strangulation is a prevalent form of IPV that presents significant health risks to women. Women's health practitioners are optimally positioned to identify subtle signs and symptoms of strangulation, help women to understand the delayed sequelae and potential future fatality associated with strangulation, and connect them with appropriate resources to reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. (Publisher abstract modified)