Foreign-Born Women More Likely To Be Victims Of Intimate Partner Homicide In New York City

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 16 Jun 2008 - 3:00 PDT

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Women killed by intimate partners, termed "intimate partner femicide" or "IPF," account for approximately one-third of reported female homicides in the United States. Using medical examiner data on 1,861 femicide victims between 1990 and 1999 and archival information on 59 neighborhoods in New York City, this study examines the role that the neighborhood environment, described by educational and occupational attainment, immigrant concentration, physical disorder and social cohesion, has in shaping the IPF risk. Controlling for neighborhood-level income, researchers found that no neighborhood factors were strongly correlated with IPF risk, as compared with non-intimate partner femicide. The strongest predictors of IPF shown were foreign country of birth and young age.

"Our results confirm the vulnerability of foreign-born women to IPF and highlight the need for interventions to reduce the occurrence of IPF in this group," the study's authors said.

"The Role of Neighborhood Environment and Risk of Intimate Partner Femicide in a Large Urban Area"
Victoria Frye, Sandro Galea, Melissa Tracy, Angela Bucciarelli, Sara Putnam, Susan Wilt
American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2007.112813
Click here to view abstract online

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American Journal of Public Health