Logo

Get Healthy!

Results for search "Domestic Violence".

Health News Results - 44

A woman's risk of intentional death by firearm rises during and shortly after pregnancy, new research shows.

About 1 in 6 intentional firearm-related deaths in women of childbearing age occurred during pregnancy or within a year of childbirth, the study found.

Dr. Naima Joseph, of the Boston Medical Center...

Black women in the United States are six times more likely, on average, to be murdered than white women, a new study finds.

And that risk runs even higher when looking at specific states and time periods, researchers report Feb. 7 in The Lancet journal.

For example, Black women...

Becoming pregnant as a result of sexual violence is disturbingly common in the United States, a new study reveals.

Nearly 6 million U.S. women have become pregnant as a result of rape or sexual coercion, researchers reported recently in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

This equates t...

Imagine being subjected to domestic violence in your home, wanting to escape -- but there's no place you can go that will accept a beloved pet.

That's the gut-wrenching situation facing too many victims of domestic abuse, according to a new data review spanning 27 years.

“In a lot of cases of domestic violence, there is evidence to suggest that people will delay leaving their rela...

Many women and men begin new relationships never dreaming they could later be enmeshed in a cycle of intimate partner violence.

Now, a new study finds there are early behavioral warning signs from a partner that suggest the risk for violence is there. And the more signs a person sees in the partner, the higher the potential risk.

"These red flags could eventually be used in interven...

Teens who are abused by a romantic partner may suffer long-lasting repercussions, and this is especially true for girls, a new analysis finds.

Investigators who reviewed 38 studies concluded that teenage dating violence was linked to a higher risk for additional relationship violence in the teen years and even into adulthood.

These unhealthy relationships were also associated...

It's not high blood pressure, hemorrhage or sepsis that is more likely to kill pregnant women -- it's their husbands and boyfriends.

Homicide is a leading cause of death in pregnant women in the United States, and the risk is growing, researchers warned in a new study published Oct. 19 in the BMJ.

It's ...

Teachers play a critical role in the early detection and reporting of child abuse, according to a new study that found school closures during the height of the pandemic may have meant that up to 8,000 reports of endangered children were missed.

"Child maltreatment is a vex...

The toll of child abuse is wide-ranging and long-lasting. Researchers warn that childhood abuse is tied to high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes in adulthood, raising odds for heart disease and stroke.

In contrast, those who grew up in nurturing homes are less likely to have heart disease risk factors.

"Our findings demonstrate how the negative and positive experiences we have in chi...

Witnessing violence between your parents is traumatic when it happens, but a new study finds that trauma can raise your risk of depression and other mental health problems.

The study included more than 17,700 Canadian adults who took part in a national survey on mental health. Of those respondents, 326 sa...

The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a surge in new gun owners across the U.S., a new study finds.

The data shows that between January 2020 and April 30 of this year, 5.1 million Americans bought their first guns, following 2.4 million who did so in 2019.

The numbers are concerning, experts said, because when guns are brought into a home for the first time, everyone who lives there i...

Poor neighborhoods of color bore the brunt of a surge in violent crime in U.S. cities early in the COVID-19 pandemic, new research shows.

"This study adds to the mounting body of research showing that equal opportunities -- including the opportunity to live, work, learn, play and worship free from...

Gun violence sky-rocketed by more than 30% across the United States during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Almost 39,000 injuries and deaths nationwide involved a gun in the year starting in February 2019 -- and that number shot up to more than 51,000 between March 2020 and March 2021, according to natio...

Physical abuse of school-aged kids tripled during the early months of the pandemic when widespread stay-at-home orders were in effect, a new study finds.

Exactly what triggered the surge is not fully understood, but other studies have also reported similar upticks in child abuse. A pediatrician who was not involved in the new research suspects COVID-19 and pandemic-related stresses create...

The rate at which homicide is taking the lives of Americans jumped by 30% over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic -- the largest year-to-year increase ever, new federal government figures show.

The rate jumped from 6 homicides per 100,000 people in 2019 to 7.8 per 100,000 in 2020, according to provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center...

Child abuse and neglect can do significant and long-lasting damage, according to a six-decade review of British data.

The analysis of records dating to the late 1950s found that children who experienced physical or sexual abuse were more likely to die early as adults.

"Our work shows the long-lasting consequences that specific types of child abuse and neglect can have. The findings ...

Kids who suffer abuse, neglect or household dysfunction are more likely to have neurological problems like stroke or headaches as adults, researchers report.

"Traumatic events in childhood have been linked in previous studies to a higher risk of heart disease, diabetes, riskier health behaviors like smoking and drug use, and decreased life expectancy," said researcher Dr. Adys Mendizabal,...

Seeing a parent abuse a sibling can be as traumatizing as watching a parent hurt another parent, a new study finds.

And it can lead to depression, anxiety and anger, researchers say.

"When we hear about exposure to family violence, we usually think about someone being the victim of direct physical abuse or witnessing spousal assault," said researcher Corinna Tucker. She is a profess...

Living within a few blocks of a shooting increases the risk that a child will end up visiting the emergency department for mental health-related problems, researchers say.

The new study found significant increases in mental health-related ER visits in the two weeks after a neighborhood shooting, especially among kids who lived closest to it and those exposed to multiple shootings.

"...

Americans did more drinking at home during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, which researchers say may be linked to a rise in domestic violence and other problems.

"Our results appear to substantiate an increase in home drinking during the period, which could potentially lead to higher alcohol consumption and alcohol-related adverse health outcomes," said study first author Dr...

Bullying remains a threat to American teens, and a new study reveals which kids may be at highest risk.

Race-based bullying takes a heavy toll on teens, the research found, but minority kids who are picked on for other reasons -- whether gender, sexual orientation, religion, disability or immigration status -- suffer a double whammy.

Victims' physical and mental health suffer a...

Kids who see their parents bicker during a separation or divorce are more likely to develop a fear of abandonment, new research warns.

And even if a youngster feels close to one or both parents, that fear can still undermine his or her mental health down the road.

The findings stem from interviews with roughly 560 kids between 9 and 18 years of age. Parents and teachers were also in...

Adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a strikingly high prevalence of attempted suicide, with women being at particular risk, researchers say.

The study of nearly 22,000 Canadian adults found that 14% of those with ADHD had attempted suicide. That was roughly five times the rate of adults without ADHD, at 2.7%.

The findings among women were particular...

X-ray evidence points to pandemic lockdowns triggering a surge in cases of domestic violence.

Data from a major Massachusetts hospital found a significant year-over-year jump in intimate partner violence cases among patients -- nearly all women -- who sought emergency care during the COVID-19 pandemic's first few weeks.

"This data confirms what we suspected," said study co-a...

Stress from social distancing and isolation to stop the spread of COVID-19 can lead to increased family violence at home, Tulane University experts say.

These changes in routine can upset kids, who may lash out and test limits. Stress from bad behavior, along with financial and other concerns can result in angry outbursts -- even verbal and physical abuse, said Dr. Charles Zeanah Jr....

Domestic violence cases rose after Los Angeles and Indianapolis introduced stay-at-home rules to help stop the spread of COVID-19, researchers say.

"Shelter-in-place rules, by mandating more time at home, are very likely to increase the volume of domestic or intimate partner violence, which thrives behind closed doors," said senior author Jeffrey Brantingham, a professor of anthropolo...

Hunkering down during the coronavirus pandemic has stressed families and raised the risk for child abuse, Penn State researchers report.

"We're very worried about children becoming more seriously injured over longer periods of time before they can get treatment," said Dr. Lori Frasier, chief of the division of child abuse pediatrics at Penn State Children's Hospital.

Data f...

People sheltering in place to avoid the threat of COVID-19 are finding themselves trapped with a more familiar source of danger -- their own spouse or parent.

Domestic violence reports have skyrocketed around the globe as coronavirus lockdowns force victims into weeks-long close contact with their abusers, experts say.

It's grown so dire that NPR reported that United ...

Stressed-out parents should reach out to others for support during the coronavirus pandemic, child health experts say.

As the number of coronavirus cases rise and families spend long periods in isolation, parents face unique financial and emotional stresses. Research shows that family stress puts kids at increased risk of abuse, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). <...

Women who experience domestic abuse may be more likely to develop heart disease, stroke and Type 2 diabetes, new research suggests.

The British study, published this week in the Journal of the American Heart Association, sought to fill in gaps in what is known about the link between domestic abuse and cardiovascular disease - the leading cause of death in women globally. One...

Women with a history of domestic abuse are more likely to develop chronic conditions that cause pain and fatigue, a new study says.

British researchers examined medical records of more than 18,500 women who had suffered domestic abuse between 1995 and 2017 and more than 74,000 who had not been abused, to compare rates of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Fibromyalgia ca...

Two in three survivors of childhood sexual abuse have good mental health, but a new study suggests that social isolation, chronic pain, substance abuse and depression can hinder recovery.

Researchers looked at 651 Canadian survivors to identify factors associated with what the researchers call complete mental health.

"Remarkably, two-thirds [65%] of the childhood sexual ...

Traumatic experiences in childhood can do lifelong harm to physical and mental health, education and work, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says.

Preventing traumatic childhood experiences -- such as abuse, seeing violence or substance abuse in the home, or having a parent in jail -- could reduce many problems later on, according to the CDC.

Among t...

Strong adult social support can help prevent violence among teen boys growing up in poor neighborhoods, new research shows.

The study included nearly 900 boys in poor areas of Pittsburgh, aged 13 to 19, who took part in a sexual violence prevention trial.

The researchers looked at 40 risk behaviors in categories such as youth violence, bullying, sexual and/or dating violen...

A staggering number of teen girls are experiencing an insidious form of relationship abuse: reproductive coercion.

Researchers report that it affects 1 in 8 adolescent girls who are sexually active.

Reproductive coercion is a form of abuse in which a girl or woman is pressured into pregnancy. From a male partner threatening to leave if his female partner refuses to have his ...

Nearly half of U.S. patients don't tell their physicians about potentially life-threatening risks such as domestic violence, sexual assault, depression or thoughts of suicide, a new study finds.

"For physicians to achieve your best health, they need to know what you are struggling with," said study senior author Angela Fagerlin.

Understanding how to make patients feel more ...

"Don't fight in front of the kids."

Sounds like familiar advice that's been passed down from generation to generation. But as it turns out, it's not always the fighting, but rather the way you fight that can have a negative -- or a positive -- effect on your children.

Researchers E. Mark Cummings and Patrick Davies have studied this topic for decades. They say hearing paren...

Family members are at risk of being killed in homes with guns in the United States, a new study suggests.

For each 10% jump in home ownership of guns, the risk of someone in the household being killed rises by 13%. The risk of a nonfamily member getting murdered is increased only 2% with gun ownership, researchers found.

"This study suggests that some of the risk...

A vast majority of battered women have suffered head injuries that are hard to recover from, a new study suggests.

Eighty-one percent of women who've suffered domestic abuse and sought help have suffered a head injury and 83% have been strangled, researchers discovered.

"One in 3 women in the United States has experienced intimate partner violence. What we found leads us...

People who drink alcohol don't only put themselves at risk, they're also endangering family and friends.

A new study finds the effects of "secondhand" alcohol harms are widespread, with nearly 1 in 5 Americans -- 53 million people -- reporting having been harmed by someone else's drinking during the past year.

Those harms include threats or harassment, damaged property, vandal...

Young children are far more likely to suffer abuse-related injuries when left in the care of a man, versus a woman. And those injuries are likely to be more severe, a new study finds.

The study included more than 1,600 children under age 4 who were seen for injuries at a pediatric emergency department. Of those, 24% were found to have been physically abused.

Nearly 80...

Men who are victims of domestic violence find it hard to get help and the support they need, British researchers report.

"While both men and women are reluctant to seek professional help for their abuse, there is an added barrier for men voiced in these studies, that they may be falsely accused of being the perpetrator. The men also raised wider concerns about masculinity," said study...

Abuse during childhood can cause structural changes in the brain that increase a person's risk of severe and recurrent depression, a new study reveals.

The findings "add further weight to the notion that patients with clinical depression who were mistreated as children are clinically distinct" from people who didn't suffer such trauma in early life, said study leader Nils Opel. He's a...

More U.S. families with young children are buying handguns -- and that might help explain a recent spike in firearm deaths, a new study suggests.

Government figures show that after years of decline, gun-related deaths among U.S. children under age 5 have been on the upswing. Between 2006 and 2016, the rate nearly doubled -- from 0.36 deaths for every 100,000 children, to 0.63 per 100...