The geography of domestic violence: assessing reported domestic violence in Missouri

Abstract

Despite the recognition that domestic violence is a national problem, researchers still struggle to identify the true prevalence of the problem, specifically at the sub national level. Actual numbers of reported domestic violence occurrences are significantly lower than estimates. Because estimates of the percentage of domestic violence incidents that are captured by police and health data vary, it is difficult to extrapolate national estimates of domestic violence incidence from reported incidences. Qualitative assessments of domestic violence in a specific place exist and data in one specific place has been examined but comparing domestic violence data at the county level or other similar geography does not. This thesis will examine that void in the domestic violence literature. The purpose of this study is to assess the comparability of domestic violence data in Missouri. This research was conducted to see if regional variability can be determined using reported domestic violence data.