# Understanding Risk Factors, Including Substance Use, for Recurrent Assault Related Injury

> **NIH NIH F31** · JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $46,752

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
The goal of the proposed fellowship is to prepare the applicant for an independent research career focused on
improving access to treatment for substance use disorders, especially those provided to assault-injured
individuals; and to inform hospital-based violence intervention programs in preventing repeat violent injury.
Violence and substance use have become public health crises in the US, demanding an urgent health care
systems response. There are large gender and racial disparities in rates of violence among Black males. The
prevalence of drug and alcohol use is immense in the US, and has been shown to be strongly associated with
violence. However, there is limited research describing the complex relationship and intersection between
drug/alcohol use and assault-related injury, especially recurrent injury. Additionally, limited studies have
examined specific substance use types and violence victimization, specifically assault-related injuries requiring
medical care and recurrent injury. Many of the relevant studies have relied on self-reported drug use rather
than objective measures such as toxicology reports. Additionally, multiple studies have shown alcohol to be
associated with violence and there is evidence to support the association between cocaine use and violence
among adults, however results have been mixed regarding other drug types (e.g., marijuana, opioids,
sedatives) and violence. The purpose of this study is to further understand patient (including drug/alcohol
use & comorbid diagnoses), neighborhood, and injury-related factors associated with recurrent
assault-related injury among adults aged 18 to 34 years who present to a hospital in Baltimore, MD
with a blunt force, cutting/piercing, or firearm assault-related injury. The specific aims of this study are:
Aim 1: Examine if patient (drug/alcohol use, comorbid diagnoses, demographics, and socioeconomic status),
neighborhood (neighborhood violence, alcohol outlets, household education, household income, vacant
houses, and drug arrests), and injury-related factors (injury severity score and mechanism of injury) at the time
of presentation to the hospital for a blunt force, cutting/piercing, or firearm assault-related injury are predictive
of recurrent assault-related injury. Aim 2: Describe experiences with violence and drug/alcohol use in
individuals who have experienced a past year repeat assault-related injury and had a positive toxicology
screen at the time of injury. Aim 3: Describe how the themes surrounding violence and drug/alcohol use
revealed in Aim 2 further explain and extend the identified risk factors in Aim 1. This study is directly
responsive to NIDA's Strategic Plan to determine the impact of drug use and addiction on individuals, families,
peers, and society; specifically, the impact of substance use disorders on public health outcomes. The
knowledge gained from this study will inform future interventions directed at improving access to effective
...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10413818
- **Project number:** 5F31DA053029-02
- **Recipient organization:** JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Lea Marineau
- **Activity code:** F31 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $46,752
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-02-10 → 2024-02-09

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10413818

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10413818, Understanding Risk Factors, Including Substance Use, for Recurrent Assault Related Injury (5F31DA053029-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10413818. Licensed CC0.

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