Interpersonal violence in peacetime Malawi.

Area of Science:

• Trauma surgery
• Public health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Interpersonal violence (IPV) contributes significantly to the global trauma burden, with regional variations.
• High rates of IPV in sub-Saharan Africa are often linked to collective violence.
• Malawi, lacking a history of collective violence, presents a unique setting to study IPV drivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of interpersonal violence (IPV) trauma in Malawi.
• To compare IPV victims with non-intentional trauma victims.
• To identify risk factors for mortality among IPV victims.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of a trauma registry (2009-2016) at Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.
• Comparison of adult (>16 years) IPV victims with non-intentional trauma victims.
• Log binomial regression analysis to determine mortality risk factors for IPV victims.

Main Results:

• IPV accounted for 34.5% of 72,488 trauma cases.
• IPV victims were more likely to be male, younger, and admitted at night.
• Alcohol use was reported by 16.5% of IPV victims versus 4.4% of others; head and torso injuries increased mortality risk, while alcohol use was associated with lower mortality.

Conclusions:

• High IPV injury rates persist in Malawi, irrespective of collective violence.
• Public health strategies should focus on alcohol use and explore the roles of "mob justice," poverty, and intimate partner violence in IPV.
• Further research is needed to understand and mitigate IPV in this region.