Study of Female-on-Female Intentional Injuries in an Urban Community: A Proposal and Test of Gendered Theory

摘要

An investigation was conducted among predominantly Black women presenting for emergency department care to (1) identify differences in correlates of intentional injuries to women by women compared to intentional injuries to women by men residing in an urban, low-income community, and (2) describe circumstances of the violent events. Most injured women (82 percent) were victimized by acquaintances/friends or family members. The majority (60 percent) of violent acts occurred outdoors and were witnessed by others (82 percent). Violence by women by non-partners takes place on view and is not a private affair. The most prevalent form of a violent act by the antagonist was one-on-one bodily physical contact (83 percent), and the most frequently cited location of injury was the head or face (67 percent). A significant minority (23 percent) were stabbed or cut. Sixty-two percent of the study respondents fought back. Seven percent of the respondents were carrying something to keep themselves safe at the time of the violent event, most fiequently a knife or razor. In the majority of incidents (54 percent), the antagonist reportedly used alcohol or illicit drugs prior to the violent event.