[Violence and adolescence. A perspective from and Emergency Department]

The acts of violence between adolescents are becoming increasingly more common, generating problems of a diverse nature. The knowledge of the circumstances that surround this violence is important to implement measures to decrease their incidence. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of violent assault in teenagers from the perspective of an Emergency Department.

Retrospective analysis of information recorded on adolescent victims of assault, who attended our Emergency Department over a 1 year period (2006), was performed.

Of the 105 patients included, the mean age of the assault victims was 15.9 (SD: 1.4) years. Of those, 73.3 % were male. They were seen at holidays (58.1 %) and predominantly between the hours of 8 pm and 4 am (55.2 %). Forty-nine (46.7 %) of the events were classified as fights, 44 (41.9 %) as assaults, 7 (6.7 %) as physical abuse and 5 (4.8 %) as sexual abuse. Overall, 20 (19 %) patients reported that there was a weapon at the scene: in 13.3 % a blunt object and in 5.7 % a knife/piercing object. Bruises or haematomas were present in 93.3 % of patients; lacerations in 19 % and fractures in 11.4 %. Sixty-two (59 %) patients needed an X-ray, 10 (9.5 %) a urineanalysis and 7 (6.7 %) a blood test. Seven (6.7 %) patients were hospitalised and 6 (5.7 %) were evaluated by Social Work.

The knowledge of the epidemiology of this problem and awareness by the professionals involved in handling this, must promote the coordinated creation of protocols and actions that can decrease its impact among adolescents, and in turn, society.