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Measuring the burden of interpersonal violence victimisation in Western Australia

  • Lynn Meuleners, Delia Hendrie and Andy H Lee
  • Trends and issues in crime and criminal justice, no. 352
  • ISBN 978 1 921185 73 1 ; ISSN 0817-8542
  • Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology, March 2008
  • Criminology Research Council grant no. 35/05-06

Abstract

People who have been victimised by interpersonal violence have an increased risk of mental illness, and the associated hospitalisation costs burden the Australian population. A paucity of data makes it difficult to develop appropriate preventative initiatives. This paper outlines a population-based study in Western Australia investigating mental illness in hospitalised victims due to interpersonal violence, using linked data from the Western Australian Mortality Database, the Hospital Morbidity Data System and the Western Australian Mental Health Information System from 1990 to 2004. The findings document the demographic characteristics and prevalence of mental illness in victims, and the share accounted for by people with and without mental illness. The results showed that groups at risk of interpersonal violence include young people between 20 and 29 years old and Indigenous females. One in four hospital admissions for interpersonal violence also had a hospital admission for a mental illness during the study period. Hospital admission costs vary, with higher mean costs per hospital admission for males and the non-Indigenous population. Indigenous people are overrepresented as victims of interpersonal violence, contributing 41% of total hospital costs. Since 1998, there has been a small, steady decrease in overall hospitalisation rate, although an increase in that for Indigenous females with a mental illness.

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