Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41343446›Full record

ArticlePloS one2025

Violent deaths following disasters: A retrospective analysis.

Sarah Elizabeth Scales, Lauren C Camphausen, Jennifer A Horney, Kristina W Kintziger

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Sarah Elizabeth ScalesDepartment of Epidemiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9983-5304
Lauren C CamphausenEpidemiology Program, College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America.
Jennifer A HorneyEpidemiology Program, College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, United States of America.
Kristina W KintzigerDepartment of Environmental, Agricultural, and Occupational Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska, United States of America.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionNegative mental health outcomes associated with disaster exposure can increase risks of interpersonal and self-directed violence. However, the link between disaster exposure and increased incidence in violent deaths is not clearly established. STUDY

objectiveThe objective of this work is to assess the incidence of violent deaths in non-disaster and disaster periods across five distinct disaster events.

methodsThis study uses an ecological, quasi-experimental design to assess violent deaths in pre-disaster and disaster periods across five U.S. states (e.g., North Carolina, Oregon, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Colorado) with federally declared disasters resulting from natural hazards (e.g., flood, wildfire, tropical cyclone, storms). Deaths recorded in the National Violent Death Reporting System were used to describe violent deaths with injuries occurring three-months prior to and after disaster onset. Poisson regression with population offsets and fixed effects was used to calculate incidence rate ratios for disaster affected and unaffected counties within the same state, comparing violent death rates in disaster periods with non-disaster periods.

resultsMost of all deaths were White (80.75%), male (76.87%), and unmarried (65.03%); the median age of decedents was 41.5 years (IQR: 28-55). Overall, the incidence of violent deaths was consistent between disaster and non-disaster periods for both affected (IRR: 0.985; 95% CI: 0.760-1.276) and unaffected counties (IRR: 1.062; 95% CI: 0.975-1.158). Rate ratios were heterogenous but not significant across individual disasters, with only non-suicide and all-cause violent deaths increasing significantly following severe storms and flooding in Wisconsin for counties ineligible for public assistance.

conclusionThe results of this study are consistent with the heterogenous findings on violent deaths and disasters throughout literature. As disasters become more frequent and severe, it is important to further consider the relationship between disaster impacts and negative mental health outcomes, including violent deaths.

Indexed as

DisastersViolenceAdolescentAdultAgedFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesUnited StatesYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID41343446
PMCPMC12677568

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.