Violence and substance use among an injured emergency department population

Objectives: This study evaluated a sample of emergency department (ED) patients for history of violence and substance abuse. Methods: Injured patients (n = 320) completed questionnaires (14% refusal rate) during a visit to a Level 1 urban ED after an acute injury. Specific questions were asked regarding whether the injury was related to acute violence (AV), whether there was past-year violence history (VH), including violence victimization and perpetration in both partner and nonpartner relationships, as well as any substance use in the past month and any substance-related consequences in the past year. Results: Fourteen percent of the participants presented with an AV-related injury, and 53% reported VH. Most AV patients (89%) reported VH. No significant differences were found between the participants with AV and VH in demographic, substance use, or substance-related consequences. The AV and VH groups were combined (V), with analyses comparing these participants with those without AV and VH. Men were significantly more likely than women to report V (odds ratio = 2.0). V was significantly related to substance use and substance-related consequences. For example, in comparison with the participants reporting no alcohol or drug use, those reporting illicit drug use were 6.2 times as likely to report V, and those drinking any alcohol only were 2.0 times as likely to report V. Conclusions: A large percentage of injured patients in this urban ED experienced violence in the past year. Alcohol and illicit drugs appear to be concomitant with violence.