Home is where the hurt is: an econometric analysis of injuries caused by spousal assault

Using data on injuries presenting at the emergency departments of participating hospitals in the Australian state of Queensland we examine the nature of injuries resulting from spousal assault and compare them to injuries from nonspousal assault and accidental injuries. We ask: who are the persons most vulnerable to spousal assault?, Are spousal assault injuries more (or less) severe than injuries from nonspousal assault and accidental injuries? Do the recorded figures for assault injuries on women understate the true number of assault injuries, and if so, by how much? 'But for my bonny Kate, she must with me. I will be master of what is mine own. She is my goods, my chattels' (Taming of the Shrew).