Pattern of homicidal burns in Northern Tunisia: An autopsy-based study over 15 years (2005-2019).
Adolescent
Adult
Age Distribution
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Burns
/ mortality
Child
Child, Preschool
Crime Victims
/ statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Homicide
/ statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Marital Status
/ statistics & numerical data
Middle Aged
Motivation
Retrospective Studies
Sex Distribution
Tunisia
/ epidemiology
Unemployment
/ statistics & numerical data
Urban Population
/ statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
Northern Tunisia
autopsy
burns
epidemiology
forensic pathology
homicide
public health
Journal
Journal of forensic sciences
ISSN: 1556-4029
Titre abrégé: J Forensic Sci
Pays: United States
ID NLM: 0375370
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
May 2021
May 2021
Historique:
revised:
04
01
2021
received:
12
10
2020
accepted:
08
01
2021
pubmed:
2
2
2021
medline:
30
6
2021
entrez:
1
2
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
Data about homicidal burns remain scarce. Intentional burns are a challenging situation in the case of an individual found dead in a fire zone with no witness of the fatal act. This study aimed to analyze the victim profiles of homicidal burns in Northern Tunisia. It was a descriptive cross-sectional study with a retrospective data collection over 15 years (January 2005-December 2019). In total, 60 cases of homicidal burns were collected. The mean age was 40.22 ± 18.1 years (range 4-82 years). We noted a male predominance (sex ratio M/F = 1.3). Most of the victims were married (48.3%), unemployed (40%), and living in an urban area (63.3%). Homicidal burns occurred most frequently in private homes for female victims (80.8%) and in public places for male victims (31.4%) (p < 0.001). The reported motive varied according to the victim's sex; males were mostly assaulted by an acquaintance in an interpersonal conflict (47.1%), and females were mostly assaulted by an intimate partner while in a dispute (42.3%; p = 0.001). The median total body surface area (TBSA) that was burned was 60.4%, and burn injuries were observed mainly in the anterior part of the body. In 19 cases, the burns were associated with another type of trauma, from which the most common association was burning and stab wounds (12 cases). The identified pattern of homicidal burn casualties was similar to the reported data in Western countries and to homicides in general in Tunisia, suggesting that prevention measures should address those of intentional interpersonal violence.
Identifiants
pubmed: 33522609
doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.14676
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
940-946Informations de copyright
© 2021 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
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