Do repeat victims of interpersonal violence have different demographic and socioeconomic characters from non-repeat victims of interpersonal violence and the general population? A population-based case-control study

Abstract

Aim: To study if adult repeat victims of violence have different demographic and socioeconomic character from non-repeat victims of violence and the general population. Methods: Case—control study comparing demographic and socioeconomic characteristics before first-time victimisation among repeat victims of violence to that of non-repeat victims and population-based controls. Repeat and non-repeat victims were included from an urban emergency department and an institute for forensic medicine. Data was analysed using logistic regression in unadjusted, semi-adjusted, and fully-adjusted models. Results: For almost all demographic and socioeconomic factors in our study, the strongest associations were found when repeat victims were compared to population-based controls, whereas associations obtained from comparison with non-repeat victims were less pronounced. Compared to non-repeat victims, factors most strongly associated with repeat victimisation were being a pensioner (OR 3.21), being unemployed (OR 2.11), high level of lifetime unemployment (OR 1.50), high level of household crowding (OR 1.49), and living without a partner (OR 1.30). Compared to population-based controls, factors most strongly associated with victimisation were being a pensioner (OR 6.83), being unemployed (OR 3.01), living without a partner (OR 3.15), high level of lifetime unemployment (OR 2.40), high levels of household crowding (OR 2.35), large age difference to partner (OR 1.82), and citizenship in a country outside Europe (OR 1.61). Conclusions: The study indicates that repeat victims of violence may be a demographic and socioeconomic subgroup of adult victims of violence characterised by certain pronounced risk factors which are already present at the time of the first episode of violent victimisation.

Keywords

Violence repeat victims socioeconomics

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