Association between homicide injury severity and benzodiazepine influence
| Autor: | Ingemar Thiblin, Joakim Sturup, Fredrik Tamsen |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
medicine.medical_specialty
Forensic pathology medicine.drug_class education macromolecular substances Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous) Pathology and Forensic Medicine Analytical Chemistry Homicide medicine injury severity score Homicide (injury) Physical and Theoretical Chemistry benzodiazepines Association (psychology) Psychiatry health care economics and organizations Benzodiazepine K5000-5582 business.industry musculoskeletal neural and ocular physiology homicide Original Articles social sciences forensic pathology quantification Criminal law and procedure Psychiatry and Mental health Anthropology injury severity Injury Severity Score Forensic sciences Public aspects of medicine RA1-1270 business Research Article |
| Zdroj: | Forensic Sciences Research article-version (VoR) Version of Record Forensic Sciences Research, Vol 6, Iss 1, Pp 53-58 (2021) |
| ISSN: | 2471-1411 2096-1790 |
| DOI: | 10.1080/20961790.2020.1767867 |
| Popis: | There are case reports of offenders inflicting excessive injuries on their victims when under the influence of benzodiazepines. However, the potential association between benzodiazepine influence on the offender and victim injury severity in a general homicide population has not been studied. We investigated associations between offender positive testing for benzodiazepines or z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone and zaleplon) and victim injury severity. Data were drawn from 95 Swedish homicide cases from 2007–2009 in which offenders had known toxicology. There were no significant differences in injury severity between cases in which the offender tested positive vs. negative for benzodiazepines/z-drugs. Thus, the findings do not support the hypothesis that there is an association between benzodiazepine influence on the offender and victim injury severity in a general homicide population.Key pointsSome previous studies have linked benzodiazepines to aggression, violence and excessive homicide injuries.The present study analysed the association between homicide injury severity and benzodiazepine status of the offender.Offenders who tested positive for benzodiazepines did not inflict more severe injuries on their victims.These findings do not support the hypothesis that benzodiazepine influence generally causes offenders to inflict more severe injuries on homicide victims. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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