PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

D Schwartz-Watts

Publications and source records attributed to D Schwartz-Watts.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Violent versus nonviolent stalkers.

Medical records of 42 pretrial detainees charged with stalking in South Carolina from January 1992 to January 1996 were reviewed. The group was divided into 22 nonviolent and 20 violent stalkers. Stalkers were classified as violent if they had associated charges involving bodily harm to their victims or if they met the criteria for South Carolina's legal definition of aggravated stalking. Variables compared included age, sex, marital status, level of education, substance abuse, Axis I diagnosis, military history, organicity, and whether the victim was a casual associate or had a previous attachment to the stalker. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups. Approaching statistical significance was the finding that violent stalkers were more likely to have had a previous attachment to their victims, and nonviolent stalkers were more likely to be casually associated with their victims.

Adult↗

Stalkers: the South Carolina experience.

Medical records of 18 pretrial detainees charged with stalking were evaluated at a forensic unit in Columbia, South Carolina from January 1992 to December 1994 and their records were compared with those of 18 offenders in the same unit randomly matched for sex, race, and whether associated crimes were violent or not. Compared variables included age, marital status, level of education, substance abuse, Axis I diagnosis, prior psychiatric hospitalizations, military history, and organicity. Significant findings show that alleged stalkers were better educated, less likely to be married or to abuse substances, and more likely to have military training and organicity when compared with other offenders. The prototypical stalker in this study is a single, educated male who is likely to have military training as well as some degree of organicity. He is less likely than other offenders to abuse substances. Replication studies are needed.

Adolescent↗

Seroprevalence of human immunodeficiency virus among inpatient pretrial detainees.

Medical records of inpatients discharged from a forensic unit in Columbia, South Carolina, from January 1991 to December 1991 were reviewed to determine the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity. Results were linked to age, gender, ethnicity, history of intravenous drug use, and Axis I diagnoses. HIV status was obtained for 74 percent of patients 18 to 55 years of age. The incidence of HIV seropositivity among patients tested was 5.5 percent, which is greater than 40 times the incidence for the general population in South Carolina. Intravenous drug use was reported for 33 percent of the seropositive males. We conclude that inpatient pretrial detainees are at increased risk for HIV infection. HIV testing should be mandated at all facilities housing detainees. Further studies are needed to determine any factors about these patients that can be linked to seropositivity.

AIDS Serodiagnosis↗