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KEY POINTS IN THIS CHAPTER
Experiencing violence is associated with myriad short-and long-term physical and mental health symptoms and disorders.
Violence is a common occurrence necessitating that nurses assess all patients for violence.
Assessment for violence should also include assessment of health consequences.
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Violence is an ever-present threat in society. Every day, the news media is full of stories about crime, murder, abuse, and violence. With violence comes victimization. Nurses need to understand common responses in the aftermath of violence and crime to be able to serve their patients. The range and types of victims a nurse will encounter vary; however, the prevalence and health effects of violence means that nurses will encounter victims in their practices.
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The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 6.1 million violent crime victimizations occurred in 2013 (Truman & Langton, 2014).
Nearly 700,000 young people ages 10 to 24 are treated in emergency departments (EDs) each year for injuries sustained due to violence-related assaults (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2009).
From 2006 to 2009, 112,664 visits made to United States EDs were for battering by a partner or spouse (Davidov, Larrabee, & Davis, 2014).
The U.S. Department of Justice reported that 37% of all women treated in hospital EDs for violence-related injuries were injured by a current or former spouse, boyfriend, or girlfriend (Rand, 1997).
In the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), only one-third of victims received healthcare (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Further, individuals who reported the violence to the police were more likely to receive healthcare treatment than victims who did not report (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2000). Among 218 women presenting in a metropolitan emergency department with injuries due to violence, 28% required hospital admission and 13% required major medical treatment (Berrios & Grady, 1991). In general, victims of repeated violence experience more severe consequences than victims of onetime incidents experience (Johnson & Leone, 2005).
In the United States, costs for interpersonal violence (IPV) reach 3.3% of the gross domestic product (Waters, Hyder, Rajkotia, Basu, & Rehwinkel, 2004). In 2003, costs for interpersonal violence exceeded $8.3 billion, and the annual healthcare costs for victims of IPV can continue for as many as 15 years after the abuse ends (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2003; Rivara et al., 2007).
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These serious mental and physical health effects and the prevalence of violence suggest that nurses in all aspects of healthcare will encounter victims of violence. The purpose of this chapter is to present the consequences of violence. It includes a discussion of physical- and mental-health consequences as well as behavioral, interpersonal responses, and healthcare utilization patterns. Finally, strategies and tools to identify survivors and health consequences are discussed.
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OVERVIEW OF VICTIMIZATION
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