Area disadvantage and intimate partner homicide: an ecological analysis of North Carolina counties, 2004-2006.
Using data from the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System and other sources, we examined ecologic relationships between county (n = 100) disadvantage and intimate partner homicide (IPH), variability by victim gender and county urbanicity, and potential mediators. County disadvantage was related to female-victim homicide only in metropolitan counties (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.25); however, disadvantage was associated with male-victim IPH regardless of county urbanicity (IRR 1.17). None of the potential intervening variables examined (shelter availability, intimate partner violence services' funding) was supported as a mediator. Results suggest disparities across North Carolina counties in IPH according to county disadvantage. Future research should explore other potential mediators (i.e., service accessibility and law enforcement responses), as well as test the robustness of findings using additional years of data.
Madkour
Aubrey Spriggs
AS
Department of Community Health Sciences, Tulane Uiversity School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA. aspriggs@tulane.edu
Martin
Sandra L
SL
Halpern
Carolyn Tucker
CT
Schoenbach
Victor J
VJ
D000328:Adult; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006708:Homicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012424:Rural Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013179:Spouse Abuse / Q000401:mortality*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014754:Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult