title: Perceptions of safety and exposure to violence in public places among working age adults with disabilities or long-term health conditions in the UK: cross sectional study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine perceptions of safety and exposure to violence in public places among working age adults with and without disabilities in the UK and to assess the extent to which any between-group differences may be moderated by gender and socio-economic situation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary analysis of data collected in Wave 3 (2011-13) of Understanding Society. Data were extracted on a subsample of 5069 respondents aged 16 to 64 years (28% of whom had a disability/long-term health condition) who were administered a questionnaire module addressing experiences of harassment. Between-group comparisons were made on four self-reported indicators of safety.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents with disabilities/long-term health conditions were significantly more likely to have been attacked (adjusted OR 2.30, 95%CI 1.17-4.50, P < 0.05), insulted (adjusted OR 1.48, 95%CI 1.16-1.90, P < 0.01) and to feel unsafe in public places (adjusted OR 1.32, 95%CI 1.16-1.56, P < 0.01) over the previous 12 months. There were no statistically significant differences between groups with regard to self-reported avoidance of public places. These associations were moderated by both gender and poverty status, with the increased risk of exposure to violence among people with disabilities being greater for both women and people living in poverty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The data add further support to the growing evidence base suggesting that people with a disability/long-term health condition are at significantly increased risk of exposure to interpersonal violence, particularly if they are living in poverty or are women. As such, there is a clear need to develop interventions that are targeted to the particular circumstances and needs of these high risk groups.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe, NSW 1825, Australia. Electronic address: eric.emerson@lancaster.ac.uk.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Emerson
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krnjacki
authors.affiliation: Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, PO Box 170, Lidcombe, NSW 1825, Australia.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Llewellyn
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vaughan
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, Level 4, 207 Bouverie Street, Victoria 3010, Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kavanagh
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000069581:Exposure to Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty; D011633:Public Facilities; D012449:Safety; D057566:Self Report; D012737:Sex Factors; D006113:United Kingdom; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Disability; Safety; Violence