Patterns of Injuries in Domestic Violence in a Romanian Population

Abstract

In Romania, the quantification of traumatic injuries is achieved in medical- legal services; therefore, each domestic violence (DV) victim needs a medical-legal certificate to prove in a court of law the presence of traumatic injuries. In this study, we aimed to determine the pattern of traumatic injuries in DV. A total of 219 consecutive DV cases were included. For each victim, a detailed medical-legal examination was performed, including specialized consults, if needed. Results were analyzed statistically using the SPSS software. Traumatic injuries in DV cases were usually located in the head, face, and neck areas and had a low severity index. Severe lesions were found in less than 10% and no sexual aggression was found. The severity increases with age and is higher for males than females. The pattern of DV–associated injuries we have encountered is similar to the one found in other similar studies. Knowing this pattern may be useful in clinical practice to detect cases of DV.