Radiographic Severity of Neonatal Deep Medullary Venous Thrombosis is Associated with Neurodevelopmental Impairment.

Violence against women results in considerable harms. Women who use drugs are at increased risk of violence, with a lifetime prevalence of experiencing violence estimated at 70% to 98%. Drug use and violence against women are complex and nonlinear; drug consumption can precede violence, result from exposure to violence, and/or stem from structural disadvantage that increases the risk of violence. However, evidence shows that women who have experienced violence are more likely than women who have not to use alcohol and other drugs, and women who use alcohol and other drugs are more likely than women who do not to report experiencing violence. Poor outcomes from violence are amplified for women who inject drugs. Among women in Spain who injected drugs, nearly half reported physical or sexual assault in the previous year; these women were more likely to be unhoused, engaged in sex work, and report a previous sexually transmitted infection. Among Black women in New York City using illicit drugs, each increase in violence (eg, physical, sexual, or emotional) experienced was associated with a 27% increased risk of drug overdose. A review found intimate partner violence was associated with substance use and impeded treatment engagement and completion. Managing these harms is complicated by barriers to support, as stigma, fear of child protection involvement, and discriminatory service exclusion often deter women who use drugs from seeking help after violence. In October 2022, the Australian government released the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. Although the 10-year plan recognized the increased risk and burden among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, culturally and linguistically diverse women, LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minority) communities, and women with disabilities—both in terms of experiencing violence and being misidentified as perpetrators of violence—it does not acknowledge the unique burden and vulnerabilities faced by women who use or inject drugs. This may reflect a lack of contemporary evidence. In response, we examined data from a prospective cohort study with linked administrative health records and qualitative data to document experiences of violence among women who inject drugs in Melbourne, Australia.