Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41605584›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2026

Incidence and associated factors of emergency department visits for violent behaviour: a retrospective cohort study in Romagna, Italy.

Benedetta Perna, Giorgia Vallicelli, Chiara Reno, Andrea Portoraro, Andrea Strada, Francesca Bravi, Roberto Grilli

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Article in BMJ open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Benedetta PernaDepartment of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy benedetta.perna@studio.unibo.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4365-2968
Giorgia VallicelliHealth Services Research, Evaluation and Policy Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Chiara RenoHealth Services Research, Evaluation and Policy Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Andrea PortoraroDepartment of Translational Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Andrea StradaEmergency Department, AUSL della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Francesca BraviHealth Directorate, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.
Roberto GrilliHealth Services Research, Evaluation and Policy Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale della Romagna, Ravenna, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo estimate the population-level incidence of emergency department (ED) visits for violent behaviour, identify associated factors and quantify the contribution of people presenting to ED for violent behaviour on the total number of ED visits for mental health problems.

designRetrospective cohort study.

settingRegional healthcare authority serving a population of 1.2 million in Romagna, Italy, January 2022 to December 2023.

participants871 119 residents (70% of the regional population; 55.6% female) alive on 1 January 2022 with data on comorbidities. Participants were followed until 31 December 2023 with censoring at death. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome: incidence of ED visits for violent/homicidal. Factors associated with violent ED visits were examined. SECONDARY OUTCOME: quantification of the contribution of people presenting to ED for violent behaviour on the total number of ED visits for any mental health problem.

results286 individuals (76.9% male) had 573 ED visits for violent behaviour, representing 4.2% of all psychiatric ED visits with an annual incidence rate of 3.48 per 10 000 person-years (95% CI 3.21 to 3.78). Male sex was associated with violent behaviour (OR 3.85, 95% CI 2.60 to 5.70; OR 4.64, 95% CI 3.12 to 6.92 among mental health service users). High comorbidity and prior mental health service use increased the risk. Having an ED visit for violent behaviour was associated with higher odds (OR 10.9, 95% CI 8.02 to 14.96) and higher incidence rate (incidence rate ratio 1.51, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.69) of psychiatric ED visits for other mental health problems.

conclusionsED visits for violent behaviour occur at relatively low population rates but predominantly affect high-risk groups: males with prior mental health service contact and either minimal or very high comorbidity. These findings supported the need for tailored interventions that address both the immediate risk of violence and underlying mental health issues, especially for high-risk groups.

Indexed as

Emergency Room VisitsEmergency Service, HospitalMental DisordersViolenceAdolescentAdultAgedFemaleHumansIncidenceItalyMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsYoung AdultEmergency Service, HospitalEPIDEMIOLOGYFrailtyHealth ServicesMENTAL HEALTH

Identifiers

PMID41605584
PMCPMC12853429

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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.