Objective: To examine the incidence and prevalence of domestic violence (DV) against women presenting to emergency departments.
Design: Prospective cohort study to determine health status and exposure to DV.
Setting: Hospital emergency department in urban northern Canada.
Participants: Random sample of women older than 16 presenting to the emergency department for any reason.
Main outcome measures: Demographic variables, exposure to DV.
Results: Of 1800 potential subjects, 577 (32%) did not fit inclusion criteria. Of the remaining 1223, 983 (80%) agreed to participate. Mean age was 41, 135 of participants (14%) were aboriginal, and 546 (56%) were married. Overall, 725 (74%) had current partners. Incidence of DV resulting in emergency department presentation on the day of assessment was 2%. Of women with partners, 66 (9%) had previously been threatened or injured by those partners. Lifetime prevalence of DV was 51%; physical DV was experienced by 40%. One-year prevalence was 26%.
Conclusion: Incidence of DV was lower than expected; prevalence of DV was high.