INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined lifetime and past-year sexual violence against men with disabilities and the types of perpetrator-survivor relationships among men with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to document the prevalence of lifetime and past-year sexual violence against men with disabilities in the U.S., compare these estimates with those of men without disabilities and women with and without disabilities, and examine the gender and relationship of the perpetrator of sexual violence against men with disabilities relative to perpetrator characteristics identified in incidents against other adults. METHODS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2005-2007 data were analyzed in 2014 using domain analysis and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Men with a disability were more likely than men without a disability to report lifetime sexual violence (8.8% vs 6.0%). They were also more likely than men without a disability to report lifetime experience of attempted or completed nonconsensual sex (5.8% and 2.3% vs 4.1% and 1.4%, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of men's reports of their relationship to the perpetrator of the most recent incident of sexual violence or perpetrator gender. CONCLUSIONS: Men with disabilities are at heightened risk for lifetime and current sexual violence compared with men without disabilities. Given the relatively high prevalence of sexual violence among people with disabilities of both genders, sexual assault screening, prevention, and response efforts need to be inclusive and attentive to all people with disabilities.

Despite the growing literature on intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization against people with disabilities, few studies have examined IPV against men with disabilities. This study uses population-based data to examine the prevalence of past-year and lifetime IPV against men with disabilities in the United States in comparison with men without disabilities and women with and without disabilities, compare the demographic characteristics of men with disabilities who reported IPV to those of other men, and examine associations of IPV and disability status with mental and physical health and other health risks among men. Results indicate that, adjusting for demographic characteristics, men with disabilities were more likely to report lifetime IPV than men without disabilities and, among those reporting any lifetime IPV, men with disabilities were more likely to report past-year IPV than both nondisabled men and women. With few exceptions, comparisons of health indicators revealed that men with disabilities reporting lifetime IPV were more likely than other men to report poor health status and to report engaging in health risk behaviors. Directions for future research and programmatic and policy implications of these results are discussed.

Background: Understanding racial inequities in emergency medical care for traumatic injuries is important to policy considerations. Methods: We analyzed data on the first emergency department (ED) visit for trauma treatment among patients in the Massachusetts (MA) Statewide Trauma Registry. This Registry collects information on all trauma patients who die in the ED, or are dead on arrival, or who are transferred between hospitals in MA. This analysis included ED visits among MA residents aged 15 years and older from 2008 through 2010. Those who died on arrival were excluded. Patients were grouped as non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Asian, and other or unknown races. We compared injury severity, departure status and ED mortality among the 5 groups while adjusting for severity, sex and age. Results: The 27,453 patients averaged 57.3 years of age, and included 44.9% women, 83.4% whites, 5.4% blacks, 6.8% Hispanics, 1.3% Asians, and 3.1% other or unknown races. In total, 534 (1.95%) died in ED. There was no clinically significant difference in injury severity among race groups. Compared to whites, blacks and other race group had higher mortality (OR=1.62, p=0.006 and OR=2.30, p Conclusions: Substantial racial disparities in ED mortality and departure status were observed among MA trauma patients. Determinants of the disparities are under investigation in an ongoing study funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

Children with disabilities are at a higher risk for various forms of violence including sexual violence, bullying, and physical violence compared to those without disabilities. However there are no studies documenting the prevalence of dating violence amongst a population-based sample of adolescents with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to assess the prevalence of dating violence victimization against high schools students with and without disabilities and to examine associations of dating violence with health risks by disability status among high school girls. Data from the 2009 Massachusetts Youth Health Survey were analyzed in 2011 using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. Among high school students who had ever been on a date, girls (25.9 %, 95 % CI 19.9-31.5) and boys (9.1 %, 95 % CI 5.8-12.4) with disabilities were more likely than girls (8.8 %, 95 % CI 6.8-10.8) and boys (4.5 %, 95 % CI 3.1-5.8) without disabilities to report dating violence. Multivariate analyses indicated that high school girls with disabilities who experienced dating violence were more likely to report feeling sad or hopeless for 2 weeks or more in the past year, suicide ideation in the past 12 months, and drug use in the past 30 days compared to those with disabilities who did not report dating violence and those without disabilities who reported and did not report dating violence. High school students with disabilities are at a greater risk for dating violence victimization compared to those without disabilities and high school girls with disabilities who experience dating violence are at increased risk for experiencing poor mental health outcomes and substance abuse.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has shown a high prevalence of sexual violence against women with disabilities. However, no previous population-based studies have examined such victimization against men with disabilities. PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to document the prevalence of lifetime and past-year sexual violence victimization among a representative sample of men with disabilities in Massachusetts and to compare its prevalence among men with disabilities to that of men without disabilities and women with and without disabilities. METHODS: Data from the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2005-2009 were analyzed in 2010 using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among 25,756 survey respondents, approximately 21.1% of Massachusetts men and 21.0% of women reported a disability. The prevalence of lifetime sexual violence victimization was 13.9% (95% CI=10.7%, 17.1%) among men with disabilities; 3.7% (95% CI=2.9%, 4.5%) among men without disabilities; 26.6% (95% CI=23.4%, 29.7%) among women with disabilities; and 12.4% (95% CI=11.2%, 13.6%) among women without disabilities. Similarly, men with disabilities were more likely than men without disabilities to report lifetime completed and attempted rape and past-year sexual violence victimization. Multivariate analyses controlling for sociodemographic characteristics indicated that men with disabilities were more than four times more likely to report lifetime and past-year victimization than men without disabilities. CONCLUSIONS: Men with disabilities are at a heightened risk for lifetime and current sexual violence victimization. Inc. All rights reserved.