The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on community violence in Connecticut

Authors

Kathleen M. O'Neill, Division of General Surgery, Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA; Investigative Medicine Program, Yale School of Medicine, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA. Electronic address: kathleen.oneill@yale.edu.
James Dodington, Department of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Violence Intervention Program, Yale New Haven Hospital, USA. Electronic address: james.dodington@yale.edu.
Marcie Gawel, Violence Intervention Program, Yale New Haven Hospital, USA. Electronic address: marcie.gawel@ynhh.org.
Kevin Borrup, Injury Prevention Center, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, 06106, USA; Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, CT, 06032, USA. Electronic address: Kborrup@connecticutchildrens.org.
David S. Shapiro, Department of Surgery, Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center, USA; Associate Professor of Surgery University of Connecticut School of Medicine & Frank L. Netter Schools of Medicine, USA. Electronic address: dshapiro@trinityhealthofne.org.
Jonathan Gates, Department of Surgery, Hartford Healthcare Hartford Hospital, USA. Electronic address: jonathan.gates@hhchealth.org.
Shea Gregg, Trauma, Burns and Surgical Critical Care, Bridgeport Hospital, USA. Electronic address: Shea.Gregg@bpthosp.org.
Robert D. Becher, Division of General Surgery, Trauma, and Surgical Critical Care, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Surgery, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA. Electronic address: robert.becher@yale.edu.

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

American journal of surgery

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Natural disasters may lead to increases in community violence due to broad social disruption, economic hardship, and large-scale morbidity and mortality. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on community violence is unknown. METHODS: Using trauma registry data on all violence-related patient presentations in Connecticut from 2018 to 2021, we compared the pattern of violence-related trauma from pre-COVID and COVID pandemic using an interrupted time series linear regression model. RESULTS: There was a 55% increase in violence-related trauma in the COVID period compared with the pre-COVID period (IRR: 1.55; 95%CI: 1.34-1.80; p-value<0.001) driven largely by penetrating injuries. This increase disproportionately impacted Black/Latinx communities (IRR: 1.61; 95%CI: 1.36-1.90; p-value<0.001). CONCLUSION: Violence-related trauma increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased community violence is a significant and underappreciated negative health and social consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one that excessively burdens communities already at increased risk from systemic health and social inequities.

First Page

775

Last Page

780

DOI

10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.10.004

Publication Date

4-1-2023

Recommended Citation

O'Neill, Kathleen M.; Dodington, James; Gawel, Marcie; Borrup, Kevin; Shapiro, David S.; Gates, Jonathan; Gregg, Shea; and Becher, Robert D., "The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on community violence in Connecticut" (2023). Surgery. 142.
https://scholar.bridgeporthospital.org/surgery/142

Identifier

36253316 (pubmed); PMC9540704 (pmc); 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2022.10.004 (doi); S0002-9610(22)00634-1 (pii)