ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to identify the factors that may influence the duration of the total incapacity to work (TIW) among victims of school violence from the perspective of clinical forensics practice. METHODS: It used a cross-sectional design to collect data from school violence victims examined at a French forensic unit following a judicial requisition. Logistic regression models were used to identify whether the victim's characteristics, the circumstances of the violence, or the evaluation itself could predict a TIW duration equal to or greater than 2 days. RESULTS: Among 231 victims of school violence, the presence of traumatic injuries such as sprains or broken bones (OR=19.8; 95% CI, 1.7-23.4, p = 0.018), bruises (OR=6.3; 95% CI, 1.5-26.8, p = 0.007), and muscle contractures (OR=7.3; 95% CI, 2.0-26.2, p = 0.007) were the main risk determinants for a longer TIW. Factors with a mild impact were the presence of ecchymosis (OR=3.8; 95% CI, 1.4-9.9, p = 0.007), anxiety (OR=3.4, 95% CI, 1.6-7.1, p = 0.001), female physician (OR=2.5, 95% CI, 1.2-5.1, p = 0.016), and the presence of a psychological follow-up for the victim or the need for a psychological consultation (OR=3.6, 95% CI, 1.2-10.7 and OR=4.7, 95% CI, 1.9-11.5, p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: These results highlight the importance of developing a more uniform model in determining TIW, whatever the physician's characteristics, through screening and reporting methods for both physical and psychological symptoms.
