Paediatricsmiddle twist
You are the intern caring for a 3-year-old boy admitted with bronchiolitis at a Perth hospital. On the second night his mother tells you that his father drinks heavily most evenings, has punched holes in the bedroom wall, has said he will take the children if she ever leaves, and last month held her by the throat until she could not breathe. She is six weeks pregnant and has told nobody. She is frightened but says the children have never been hit. Which one of these features is the strongest predictor of future serious violence in this family?