The danger assessment: validation of a lethality risk assessment instrument for intimate partner femicide

J Interpers Violence. 2009 Apr;24(4):653-74. doi: 10.1177/0886260508317180. Epub 2008 Jul 30.

Abstract

The Danger Assessment (DA) is an instrument designed to assess the likelihood of lethality or near lethality occurring in a case of intimate partner violence. This article describes the development, psychometric validation, and suggestions for use of the DA. An 11-city study of intimate partner femicide used multivariate analysis to test the predictive validity of the risk factors on the DA from intimate partner femicide cases (N = 310) compared with 324 abused women in the same cities (controls). The results were used to revise the DA (four items added; one "double-barreled" item divided into two), and the calculated weights (adjusted odds ratios) used to develop a scoring algorithm with levels of risk. These levels of risk were then tested with an independent sample of attempted femicides (N = 194) with a final outcome of .90 of the cases included in the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Case-Control Studies
  • Crime Victims / classification*
  • Dangerous Behavior*
  • Female
  • Homicide / classification*
  • Homicide / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Psychometrics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Risk Assessment
  • Spouse Abuse / classification*
  • Spouse Abuse / prevention & control
  • Surveys and Questionnaires*
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Urban Population / statistics & numerical data
  • Women's Health*