Hesitation Wounds and Sharp Force Injuries in Forensic Pathology and Psychiatry: Multidisciplinary Review of the Literature and Study of Two Cases

The aim of this paper was to showcase the significant diagnostic value of hesitation wounds in terms of forensic, psychiatric, and medicolegal interest. A number of studies were reviewed to update and summarize the relevant literature on the incidence, distribution, character, and function of hesitation wounds as well as the sociodemographic variables and psychopathology of the inducers. This study also investigates their importance as a forensic criterion in the distinction between suicide and homicide as well as a psychiatric diagnostic tool in suicide prevention. In addition, the paper reports two new cases. Results conclude that there is equal incidence, but different distribution of hesitation wounds between genders. Furthermore, the low dispersion of hesitation wounds contrasts with the high dispersion of defense wounds. The inducers' psychopathology lies principally in Axis I disorders. Finally, there is a comprehensive analysis of non‐suicidal self‐injury and the role of self‐wounding in suicide prevention.     

Incidence of Low Body Mass Index in the Elderly in Forensic Cases—A Possible Marker for Frailty Syndrome?

Diagnosing frailty syndrome at autopsy may be difficult if no adequate clinical history is provided. As low body mass index (BMI) may be associated with frailty in the elderly, the following study was undertaken to determine the percentage of medicolegal cases with BMIs < 18.5 in decedents aged over 75 years. Review was undertaken over three time periods: January to December 1986, January to December 2006, and January to December 2012. In 1986, 16% (15 of 93) of individuals aged ≥75 years had BMIs < 18.5, in 2006, 15% (50 of 336), and in 2012, 13% (35 of 274). In no case was frailty syndrome mentioned. This study demonstrates that frailty syndrome appears to be an underappreciated diagnosis in forensic practice despite a significant percentage of elderly decedents (13–16% over a 27‐year period) having low BMIs. Prospective assessment of this group is required to determine the incidence and contribution to mortality of frailty syndrome in a forensic context.     

Associations between Exposure to Alienating Behaviors,Anxiety, and Depression in an Italian Sample of Adults

The aim of this study was to examine associations between exposure to alienating behaviors (ABs) and anxiety and depression as mediated through psychological maltreatment and parental bonding in a sample of Italian adults in the community. Five hundred and nine adults were given a measure of exposure to ABs, the Baker Strategy Questionnaire; the Psychological Maltreatment Measure; the Parental Bonding Instrument; the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory‐Y; and the Beck Depression Inventory‐II. Exposure to ABs was associated with psychological maltreatment, which was associated with parental bonding, which was associated with each of the three mental health outcomes: depression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. The authors conclude that exposure to ABs in childhood represents a risk factor for subsequent poor mental health.     

Histological Changes in the Thyroid Gland in Cases of Infant and Early Childhood Asphyxia—A Preliminary Study

A retrospective blinded study of thyroid gland histology was undertaken in 50 infants and young children aged from 1 to 24 months. Deaths were due to (i) suffocation (N = 7), hanging (4), wedging (3), and chest and/or neck compression (4), and (ii) SIDS (20), noncervical trauma (7), organic disease, (4) and drug toxicity (1). In the asphyxia group (N = 18), thyroid gland congestion ranged from 0 to 3+ with 39% of cases (7/18) having moderate/marked congestion. In three cases, focal aggregates of red blood cells (blood islands) were observed within the intrafollicular colloid. These deaths involved chest compression, chest and/or neck compression, and crush asphyxia in a vehicle accident, and all had facial petechiae. Only 22% of the 32 control cases (7/32) had moderate/marked congestion with no blood islands being identified (p < 0.05). Blood islands within the thyroid gland may be caused by congestion associated with crushing or compression and may provide supportive evidence for this diagnosis.     

Security in the Interparental Subsystem (SIS) Scale: Psychometric Characteristics in a Sample of Portuguese Adolescents

The Security in the Interparental Subsystem Scale (SIS) is based on emotional security theory. This study examined the psychometric properties of an adaptation of the SIS to a sample of Portuguese adolescents (60.3 % girls; 10 to 18 years old; Mage?=?13 years; N?=?229), recruited in public schools. Discriminant and concurrent validity were assessed by analyzing SIS dimensions associations with adolescents’ exposure to interparental conflict (IC), and psychological adjustment, respectively. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the SIS supported a six-factor solution, with satisfactory internal consistency. Evidence for discriminant and concurrent validity was provided: most SIS dimensions significantly discriminated between adolescents exposed to higher vs. lower levels of IC; and a significant positive association between emotional reactivity and adolescents’ externalizing symptoms was found. These findings suggest that the SIS is a reliable tool for assessing adolescents’ emotional insecurity in the interparental relationship within the context of this sample.     

Profile of Men Who Are Victims of Physical Violence by an Intimate Partner

The objective of this study was to characterize the profile of men who are victims of interpersonal physical violence (IPV) by an intimate partner. This study is a retrospective analysis of suspected cases of male victims of IPV by an intimate partner, aged 18 years or older, treated at a Forensic Medicine and Dentistry Center in Brazil. Sociodemographic variables of the victims, the types of violence and the patterns of injuries were evaluated. Over this period, 1520 suspected victims of IPV by an intimate partner were examined; 14.6 % (n = 222) of them were men. Based on Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) two dimensions were formed: the first dimension (internal reliability = 0613) was primarily formed by the relationship between aggressor and victim, the marital status and the type of IPV, and the second dimension (reliability = 0509) by the day of week, the period of day and the marital status.     

Consideration and Choice: Analyzing Party Choice in the Swedish European Election 2014

For a long time the question of to what extent party choice in the European Parliament (EP) elections is primarily dependent on voters’ orientations towards the European Union (EU) or just a mere reflection of orientations towards issues and actors in national politics has been debated. By combining insights from individual‐level models of party choice in second‐order elections with theories of sequential decision making this article investigates if, how and at what stages in the decision process attitudes to European integration matters for party choice. In line with previous work on first and second decision rule criteria in EP elections, this article develops and tests hypotheses about how voters’ orientations work at different stages of the voter decision process. The findings, based on Swedish data from a probability‐based three‐wave Internet campaign panel, indicate that many voters are in fact considering more than one party to vote for in the beginning of the election campaign. As expected, left‐right orientations function as a main decision rule with respect to which parties voters even consider voting for, while proximity on the European integration dimension mainly matters as a second decision rule in the final stage of the decision process. Using a sequential model with consideration and choice stages, the article reveals a much larger complimentary effect of EU proximity on party choice than has generally been found in previous research. This serves as a distinct contribution to the emerging research field of individual party choice in second‐order elections.     

When trust matters—a multilevel analysis of the effect of generalized trust on political participation in 25 European democracies

Generalized social trust has been argued to have positive effects for both individuals and society, but despite solid theoretical arguments in favour of different contextual effects, the empirical evidence remains scant. We here examine whether and how the effect of generalized trust on the propensity to become politically active is moderated by the level of generalized trust in society. We inspect two different causal mechanisms: The rainmaker effect, which entails that the effect of generalized trust is weaker at the individual level when there is a high level of generalized trust in society; and the sunmaker effect, which entails that the effect of generalized trust is strengthened by a high level of generalized trust in society. We examine the links for three forms of political participation: voting, institutionalized participation, and non-institutionalized participation. The data come from the fourth round of the European Social Survey from 2008 [European Social Survey. (2008 European Social Survey. (2008). Data file edition 4.0. Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Norway – Data Archive and distributor of ESS data. [Google Scholar]). Data file edition 4.0. Norwegian Social Science Data Services, Norway—Data Archive and distributor of ESS data], and we include 47,489 respondents in 25 democratic countries. The results from a series of multilevel logistic regressions suggest that the effect of generalized trust varies depending on the level of generalized trust in the surrounding community but the causal mechanisms differ for different kinds of political participation.     

Fatal firearm wounds: a retrospective study in Bari (Italy) between 1988 and 2003

Fatal gunshot injuries are routinely encountered by forensic pathologists practicing in Southern Italy. Bari, the capital city of the Italian region known as Apulia, is a leader with regard to the number of firearm deaths in Italy. This is mainly attributable to local organized crime groups which control a variety of illicit activities. This retrospective study analyzes autopsy data related to fatal firearm wounds, handled by the Institute of Legal Medicine [University of Bari], between 1988 and 2003. A total of 717 cases were selected and classified as follows: firearm homicides (634); suicides (82); and accidental death (1). A significant number of variables have been reviewed such as: month in which the violent event took place; the victims' nationalities; gender and age of victims; site and number of entrance wounds; weapon type used; and manner of death (i.e. homicide; suicide; accidental). Analysis has revealed a homicide versus suicide ratio of almost 8:1. Victims were mostly male with a lower mean age than in other similar studies. Homicides with multiple gunshot wounds were more common than ones with single entrance wounds. For example, in one case, 30 entrance wounds were identified in the murder of a gang boss. Four suicides with two entrance gunshot wounds were identified. Handguns were the most frequently used weapon in all groups (i.e. homicide, suicide, and accidental), with 7.65 mm and 9 mm being the most common calibres. This study revealed a very low incidence of suicide among females. Mental and other types of illness, as well as financial stress were the apparent motives which prompted most of the suicide victims. The homicide cases described were most often related to continual, ongoing fights among local criminal gangs (75%).     

Designing the United Nations Environment Programme: a story of compromise and confrontation

The role of the United Nations in global environmental governance was determined in 1972 when a new international body for the global environment was created as a programme within the United Nations rather than as an autonomous specialized agency. A set of political dynamics between developed and developing countries led to the decisions on the functions, form, financing, and location of the new intergovernmental organization—the United Nations Environment Programme. This article traces the historical roots of these choices and exposes the motivations behind them.