Injury Prevention Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
Acad Emerg Med. 2011 Oct;18(10):1027-35. doi: 10.1111/j.1553-2712.2011.01165.x.
Adolescents with a history of peer assault are known to report high rates of other risky behaviors. The characteristics of adolescents seeking care in the ED for acute assault-related injury are less well established. This knowledge deficit is particularly noticeable for adolescent female victims of peer assault. This study's objectives were: 1) to characterize the demographics and risk behaviors of youths presenting to the emergency department (ED) with acute assault-related injury and 2) to compare assaulted youths' demographic characteristics, past experiences with violence, and other risk behaviors by sex.
A systematic sample of adolescents (ages 14 to 18 years) presenting to an urban ED with acute assault-related injury (excluding dating violence, sexual assault, and child abuse) was recruited. Consenting participants self-administered a computerized survey about demographics, history of peer and dating aggression, and theoretical correlates of violence (e.g., alcohol and other drug use, depressive symptoms, weapon carriage). Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors that were differentially associated with presentation to the ED for acute assault-related injury for females versus males.
Of 3,338 adolescents completing a screening survey during the 36-month study period, 197 had presented to the ED with acute assault-related injuries; seven of these were excluded from this study due to being victims of dating violence. Most (n = 179, 94.2%) of these 190 acutely assaulted participants were discharged home. The majority reported a history of past-year peer aggression (n = 160, 84.2%) and past-year violent injury (n = 106, 55.8%). Similar rates of past-year peer aggression, past-year violent injury, alcohol use, and weapon carriage were observed for adolescent males and females presenting with acute assault-related injury. Males and females also reported similar age, race, socioeconomic status, and education levels. Compared to males, females were less likely to report living with a parent (odds ratio [OR] = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.08 to 0.84) and were more likely to report depressive symptoms (OR = 2.59, 95% CI = 1.23 to 5.48) and past-year dating aggression (OR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.04 to 4.82).
Male and female adolescents with acute assault-related injuries were very similar. Both reported extremely high rates of past year peer violence, assault-related injury, and substance use. The greater prevalence of some risk factors among adolescent females, such as depressive symptoms, dating aggression, and independent living status, should be further investigated.
有研究表明，曾遭受同伴攻击的青少年报告其他高危行为的比率较高。然而，青少年因急性攻击相关伤害到急诊就诊的特征却鲜为人知，尤其是在青少年女性遭受同伴攻击方面。本研究的目的是：1）描述因急性攻击相关伤害到急诊就诊的青少年的人口统计学特征和风险行为；2）比较遭受攻击的青少年的人口统计学特征、以往暴力经历和其他风险行为在性别上的差异。
对在城市急诊就诊的因急性攻击相关伤害（不包括约会暴力、性侵犯和儿童虐待）的青少年（14 至 18 岁）进行了系统抽样。同意参与的参与者使用计算机进行了一项关于人口统计学、同伴和约会攻击史以及暴力的理论相关性（例如酒精和其他药物使用、抑郁症状、携带武器）的自我调查。使用多变量逻辑回归来确定与女性和男性因急性攻击相关伤害到急诊就诊相关的差异因素。
在 36 个月的研究期间，有 3338 名青少年完成了筛选调查，其中 197 人因急性攻击相关伤害到急诊就诊；由于这些人是约会暴力的受害者，其中 7 人被排除在本研究之外。这些 190 名急性受攻击者中，大多数（n = 179，94.2%）被送回家。大多数人报告过去一年有同伴攻击史（n = 160，84.2%）和过去一年的暴力伤害史（n = 106，55.8%）。有急性攻击相关伤害的青少年男性和女性报告的过去一年同伴攻击、过去一年暴力伤害、酒精使用和携带武器的比例相似。男性和女性也报告了相似的年龄、种族、社会经济地位和教育水平。与男性相比，女性更不可能与父母同住（比值比[OR] = 0.25，95%置信区间[CI] = 0.08 至 0.84），更有可能报告抑郁症状（OR = 2.59，95% CI = 1.23 至 5.48）和过去一年的约会攻击（OR = 2.23，95% CI = 1.04 至 4.82）。
有急性攻击相关伤害的男性和女性青少年非常相似。两者都报告了过去一年同伴暴力、攻击相关伤害和物质使用的极高比率。一些风险因素在青少年女性中更为普遍，例如抑郁症状、约会攻击和独立生活状况，应进一步调查。
