The Association Between Patterns of Trauma Exposure, Family Dysfunction, and Psychopathology Among Adolescent Females With Depressive Symptoms From Low-Income Contexts

Distinguishing profiles of trauma exposure among low-income adolescent females with depressive symptoms is important for understanding comorbidity, family relationships, and treatment. Specifically, child maltreatment is essential to examine in comparison to other traumas. Participants included 170 adolescent females (65.3% Black; 21.2% White; 13.5% other race; 14.1% Latina/x) with depressive symptoms and their primary caregiver from low-income families. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified three trauma classes. Probabilities of endorsing different subtypes of maltreatment (physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and sexual abuse), number of subtypes of maltreatment, and non-maltreatment traumas (accident, experiencing or witnessing physical assault, death or injury of loved one, medical trauma) varied among groups. Higher levels of family dysfunction and traumatic stress symptoms were reported in both classes with maltreatment exposure as compared to the class with only non-maltreatment trauma exposure. Findings have implications for family-focused interventions for maltreated adolescent females with depressive symptoms from low-income contexts.

Analysis of the Increase in Femicide Following Its Classification as a Crime in the Digital World

Femicide, or feminicide as it is known in some Latin American jurisdictions, is the murder of a woman because of her gender. National and international regulations agree that this constitutes a hate crime, rather one of habitual violence since femicide is motivated by more complex factors than those of mere physical assault. Violence has become a social problem that has changed the dynamics of the family and associated elements, leading to implications in the psychological, personal, and social spheres, among others. With this perspective, the study carried out a normative analysis of the current situation in Ecuador following the separate classification of the crime of femicide in the General Organic Penal Code (GOPC). The research drew heavily on interviews with active members of Ecuadorian legal institutions in order to build a taxonomy of inconsistencies that determine the reasons for the increase in these murders after the change to the law, at the same time as the stiffening of the state's resolve to prevent them.

Victimizations and surviving of workplace violence against waitresses in southern Ethiopia

Women are obliged to take on vulnerable forms of employment that fail to protect their basic labor rights. Exposure to workplace violence is especially high for those women who work within the agriculture, the hotels, restaurants and catering, the transport as well as the manufacturing sectors. In this context, we explored workplace violence against women working as waitresses in various hotels, restaurants, cafeterias and grocery stores of Wolaita Sodo town, southern Ethiopia. Cross-sectional study was undertaken with descriptive and exploratory study designs. Qualitative data were collected by using in-depth interview method in which 16 waitresses were interviewed. Data were voice recorded, transcribed, and analyzed searching themes and patterns in the data. While we found that waitresses are highly exposed to workplace violence, the level of exposure to the violence varies across various circumstances, including working in large and small towns, the situation of the owners/supervisors, public’s insight of the position, waitresses’ ability to speak the local language, the role of the waitresses, customers’ behavior and the specific context in which waitresses work. Waitresses were generally exposed to all forms of violence including spitting, throwing objects, simple physical assault, touching on private parts, and intimidation, among which verbal abuse and emotional exploitations are found to be the most common. Furthermore, the results revealed that though waitresses rarely experienced violence from female customers, the most common perpetrators involved in the practice were males. Amid widespread exposure of waitresses to all forms of workplace violence, ignorance, mostly motivated by fear of losing one’s job, has been the common way waitresses respond to the violence. The study implies the vulnerability state of waitresses partly due to lack of adequate awareness regarding the rights and obligations expected of an employee when working in such organizations. This is again exacerbated by the lack of formal employment procedures in such organizations. Therefore, awareness creation and supervisory activities are expected from the media, workers’ and social security office of the government, police and other concerned bodies.

Self-Reported Violence Experienced by Swiss Prehospital Emergency Care Providers

Background. Workplace violence is a serious and increasing problem in health care. Nevertheless, only few studies were carried out concerning this topic and then mainly in English-speaking countries. The objectives were to describe the acts of violence experienced by prehospital emergency care providers (PECPs) in the western part of Switzerland between January and December 2016 and to assess the consequences for subsequent PECPs behaviors. Methods. An observational cross-sectional study, carried out using an online survey, has been sent to all 416 PECPs in the Canton of Vaud, in the western, French-speaking, part of Switzerland. The survey contained items of demographic data and items to assess the type and consequence of violence sustained. This was classified as five types: verbal assault, intimidation, physical assault, sexual harassment, and sexual assault. Results. 273 (65.6%) PECPs participated in the survey. During 2016, workplace violence was reported by 229 survey participants (83.9%). Most declared to be the victim of such violence between one and three times during the year. In all cases of violence described, the patient and/or a relative initiated aggressive behavior in 96% of cases. Verbal assaults were the most common (99.2% of all acts), followed by intimidation (72.8%), physical assault (69.6%), and sexual harassment (16.3%). Concerning physical assault, PECPs were predominantly victims of spitting and/or jostling (50%). After a violent event, in 50% of cases, the PECPs modified their behavior owing to the experience of workplace violence; 82% now wear protective vests, and 16% carry weapons for self-defense, such as pepper sprays. Seventy-five percent changed their intervention strategies, acting more carefully and using verbal de-escalation techniques or physical restraints for violent patients. Conclusions. Workplace violence is frequent and has significant consequences for PECPs. In order to increase their own security, they increased their protection. These results illustrate their feelings of insecurity, which may have deleterious effects on work satisfaction and motivation. Trial Registration. Our article does not report the results of a health care intervention on human participants.

Medicolegal Aspects of Victims of Assault Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Sri Lanka

Introduction: Violence with physical assault is a common cause of morbidity and mortality prevalent but not limited to underdeveloped countries. The opinion of the forensic expert is often indispensable in such cases to determine the penalties. This study was planned to describe the pattern of presentation of the victims and evaluate the strengths and limitations in formulating a scientific medicolegal opinion based on the findings of the victim. Methods: A retrospective descriptive study based on the case records of the victims of assault admitted to Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama, Sri Lanka, was conducted for four years. Results: Out of the 400 victims, the majority (72% n = 290) were males and of the age-group of 21 to 40 (n = 216). The reason for assault in the majority was sudden provocation (n = 99, 25%), followed by previous long-duration enmity (n = 89, 22%). The majority (83%) had isolated blunt force trauma, and the injuries were nongrievous (74%). Defense injuries were significantly associated with attempted defense (p = 0.000) and sharp force trauma (p = 0.002). The underlying reason for the assault was not significantly associated with the causative weapon (p = 0.228) or body region injured (p = 0.195). Conclusions: Even though the presentation and the pattern of injures are definitely of value in formulating a scientific opinion, the study identified the limitations of the forensic experts, and the need for a holistic approach at the investigations was highlighted.

Injury amongst Medicolegal Cases in Department of Forensic Medicine of a Tertiary Care Centre: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Victim of injuries presenting to a hospital is a medico-legal issue. So, with medical management, proper documentation of injuries should be done as a legal duty by all physicians attending such cases. The study aims to find the prevalence of injury amongst medicolegal cases inthe Department of Forensic Medicine in a tertiary care centre. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done amongst 328 medicolegal cases presenting at a tertiary center, from January 2019 to February 2021. Ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee (Reference number: 2603202101). Convenience sampling was used to select study samples. After detailed history regarding the incidence, injuries were examined and documented in a performa. The data were entered in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 18. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentagefor binary data. Results: Among 328 cases presenting to hospital for medicolegal issues, 237 (72.25%) (67.40-77.09 at 95% Confidence Interval) had injuries, out of which 170 (71.73%) cases were due to physical assault, 64 (27%) cases due to accident; 2 (1.26%) were undetermined. Majority of victims of injury were adult males, with mean age of 32.41±13.96 years. In most accidental injuries internal organs were also injuries and life-threatening. Conclusions: The prevalence of injuries amongst medicolegal cases was found to be higher in our study in comparison to other studies done in similar settings. Most of the injuries were due to physical assault; however, the majority of road traffic injuries were life-threatening. These road traffic injuries could have been prevented by following a safe system approach to road safety.

Typology of Traumatic Events and Physical Function

Individuals experience various traumatic events over the life course, but little is known about the patterns of lifetime exposure to traumatic events. This study aims to identify traumatic event typology and examine its relationship with physical function. Data were from the 2017-2019 PINE study (N= 3,125). Traumatic events were evaluated by earthquake, typhoon, tornado, residential fire, physical assault, robbery, sexual assault, divorce, bereavement, cancer, homeless, imprisonment, and falsely accused. Physical function was measured by activities of daily living (ADL), with lower scores indicating better physical function. Analysis was conducted using latent class analysis and the four-class model fits the data best. We identified four typologies: limited trauma, severe trauma, natural disaster, and mild-to-moderate trauma. The “limited trauma” (33.8%) has the lowest exposure to all traumatic events except typhoon and homeless. In contrast, an equivalent “severe trauma” (33.3%) has the highest exposure to all traumatic events except natural disasters. A small “natural disaster” (4.8%) has the highest exposure to natural disaster and moderate exposure to other traumatic events. The “mild-to-moderate trauma” (28.2%) has mild-to-moderate trauma exposures. The mild-to-moderate trauma group (M=0.38, SD=2.12) has better physical function than limited trauma (M=0.69, SD=3.08), severe trauma (M=0.61, SD=2.81), and natural disaster (M=0.71, SD=3.22) groups. After controlling confounding variables, the mild-to-moderate trauma group has lower risks of ADL impairment than the limited trauma group (OR=0.66, 95%CI=0.47-0.93). The findings suggest mild-to-moderate exposure to traumatic events might benefit older adults’ health, while limited trauma might not be able to develop resilience and severe trauma overwhelms coping strategies.

Gender-Based Violence In Bangladesh: A Critical Analysis

This study tried to explore the current nature of gender-based violence and harassment in Bangladesh. Specifically, gender-related harassment and discrimination with violence against women and children have been explored throughout the study. However, the study is based on secondary data collected from gender-focused scholars and organizations. The data of ASK and BSAF have been used for critical analysis regarding violence, harassment, and discrimination against women and children in Bangladesh. As findings, the study found that the prevalence of domestic violence and oppression against wife and housemate including cleaner, housekeeping, and cooker have existed in the forms of torture, negligence, rape, forced rape, physical assault, and sexual assault. The study also found that women and girls are being harassed in transportation as they feel unsecured in movement through abusive and negative attitudes and behavior such as touching, closely standing, intentionally pushing, and gripping in shoulders, bad beckon and comment, and touching in the sensitive part of the body. It is also seen that the business environment is not favorable for women Entrepreneurs due to constraints social and cultural attitudes, lack of political commitment, and insufficient governmental provisions for establishing a women-friendly business environment.

Perceived workplace violence reported by nurses enrolled in B.Sc Nursing degree programme at KIU, Sri Lanka

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) can be defined as a violent act directed towards workers, including physical assault, threat of assault and verbal abuse and it is widely recognized as having far-reaching consequences for workers’ health and safety. Nurses are the most vulnerable group for WPV. In recent years WPV against nurses has significantly increased, becoming a nationwide phenomenon across the hospital settings. Furthermore, it can impact the quality of patient care and reduce the efficiency and quality of the entire health system. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the perceived workplace violence reported by nurses enrolled in the B.Sc Nursing degree programme at KIU, Sri Lanka. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 306 undergraduate nurses in KIU. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which consisted of demographic information, the prevalence of WPV and factors associated with WPV. Data analysis was done with descriptive statistics and chi-square test using SPSS version 23. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Review Committee of KIU (KIU/ERC/20/05). Results: The majority of participants were females (97.4%, n=298), aged between 20-30 years (61.4%, n=188) and had working experience of <5 years (63.7%, n=195). The prevalence of workplace violence was 75.5%, n=231. The commonest type of reported violence was verbal violence (87.8%, n=203) followed by emotional violence (65%, n=150), physical violence (15%, n=35), sexual violence (3.8%, n=9) and racial harassment (2.1%, n=5). Medical and Surgical wards (39.6%, n=91) were the most frequent working areas where nurses faced violent behavior. The perpetrators were found to be supervisors (73.1%, n=168), patients’ relatives (53.2%, n=122), and patients (52.3%, n=120). The working unit of the nurses (p< 0.001), designation (p<0.001), number of night duties per month (p=0.019), and ability to access the ward without permission (p=0.042) were significantly associated with WPV among nurses. Conclusion: The study concluded that the prevalence of WPV was high among nurses while verbal violence from nursing supervisors was the most common WPV. Therefore, it is mandatory to place appropriate measures to prevent the WPV among nurses.

Adversity during military service: the impact of military sexual trauma, emotional bullying and physical assault on the mental health and well-being of women veterans

IntroductionDespite making up about 11% of the UK military, there remains limited investigation on the impact of adversity women experience during their service in the UK military. Military adversity can result in a range of well-being difficulties that may persist following transition out of military. The present study therefore examined the prevalence and correlates of different types of military adversity (defined as sexual harassment, sexual assault, emotional bullying and physical assault) within a community sample of UK women veterans.MethodsParticipants were recruited from a UK charity supporting women veterans. 750 women veterans completed an online survey collecting information on sociodemographic and military factors, military adversity, as well as mental health and well-being difficulties. Associations between variables were explored using multivariate logistic regressions.ResultsThe findings indicate a high prevalence of military adversity (22.5% sexual harassment, 5.1% sexual assault, 22.7% emotional bullying and 3.3% physical assault). Younger women, those who held an officer rank during service and those who reported having a combat or combat support role during service were most at risk of military adversity. All types of adversity were significantly associated with probable post-traumatic stress disorder. Sexual harassment was additionally significantly associated with physical somatisation; sexual assault with alcohol difficulties; and emotional bullying with common mental health difficulties, low social support and loneliness.ConclusionsThis study indicates that UK women veterans are at risk of a range of adverse experiences during military service and provides evidence of the impact of such adversities on mental health and well-being. Further research is required to better understand these relationships.