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Deaths from violence in North Carolina, 2004: how deaths differ in females and males

¹ Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, Division of Public Health, NC Department Health and Human Services, Raleigh, NC, USA
² Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
³ Injury Prevention Research Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
⁴ Department of Maternal and Child Heath, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
⁵ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
⁶ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
⁷ Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

Correspondence to:
MrsC (Kay) Sanford
Director, NC Violent Death Reporting System, Injury and Violence Prevention Branch, NC Division of Public Health, 1915 Mail Service Center, Raleigh NC 27699-1915, USA; kay.sanford{at}ncmail.net

ABSTRACT
Objective: To identify gender differences in violent deaths in terms of incidence, circumstances, and methods of death.

Design: Analysis of surveillance data.

Setting: North Carolina, a state of 8.6 million residents on the eastern seaboard of the US.

Subjects: 1674 North Carolina residents who died from violence in the state during 2004.

Methods: Information on violent deaths was collected by the North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System using data from death certificates, medical examiner reports, and law enforcement agency incidence reports.

Results: Suicide and homicide rates were lower for females than males. For suicides, females were more likely than males to have a diagnosis of depression (55% v 36%), a current mental health problem (66% v 42%), or a history of suicide attempts (25% v 13%). Firearms were the sole method of suicide in 65% of males and 42% of females. Poisonings were more common in female than male suicides (37% v 12%). Male and female homicide victims were most likely to die from a handgun or a sharp instrument. Fifty seven percent of female homicides involved intimate partner violence, compared with 13% of male homicides. Among female homicides involving intimate partner violence, 78% occurred in the woman’s home. White females had a higher rate of suicide than African-American females, but African-American females had a higher rate of homicide than white females.

Conclusions: The incidence, circumstances, and methods of fatal violence differ greatly between females and males. These differences should be taken into account in the development of violence prevention efforts.

Abbreviations: ICD-10, International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision; NC-VDRS, North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System; NVDRS, National Violent Death Reporting System; OCME, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner