Single stab injuries to the trunk in assault cases-A comparative study of female and male victims in clinical forensic medicine.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Determining the causation of an injury in living individuals is a key task for forensic pathologists. However, little is known about sex-based differences in injury characteristics. The study aims to examine sex-based differences in single stab injuries to the trunk among assault survivors, to potentially identify injury patterns that could aid forensic assessment and help in the management of these patients in emergency care.

METHODS

Using the Swedish National Board of Forensic Medicine's registry, we identified 385 survivors of single stab injuries to the trunk (361 men, 24 women). Case characteristics were collected and analyzed using Mann-Whitney U tests, chi-square tests, and univariate logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS

Psychiatric illness was more frequent in women than in men (26% vs. 11%, p < 0.05). Women were more often assaulted at home (42% female, 21% male, p < 0.05), while men were mostly attacked outdoors (56% male, 29% female, p < 0.05). In 50% of female cases, the assault object was found at the crime scene, while in majority of male cases no object was identified (66%, p < 0.05). Horizontal wound directions were more common in women (59% vs. 29%, p < 0.05). Injury severity, based on the New Injury Severity Score, did not differ between sexes (median 8 male, median 9 female, p = 0.76).

CONCLUSION

Differences in demographics, injury characteristics, and circumstances may help guide forensic assessments by improving injury profiling and assessment accuracy. It can also help emergency caregivers provide appropriate support to assaulted patients. Further research is needed to explore whether these findings reflect underlying patterns of domestic violence.