An Introduction to Probabilistic Record Linkage with a Focus on Linkage Processing for WTC Registries.

Since its post-World War II inception, the science of record linkage has grown exponentially and is used across industrial, governmental, and academic agencies. The academic fields that rely on record linkage are diverse, ranging from history to public health to demography. In this paper, we introduce the different types of data linkage and give a historical context to their development.

Association of sexual violence and human rights violations with physical and mental health in territories of the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Context: Studies from the Eastern Region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have provided anecdotal reports of sexual violence. This study offers a population-based assessment of the prevalence of sexual violence and human rights abuses in specific territories within Eastern DRC.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of and correlations with sexual violence and human rights violations on residents of specific territories of Eastern DRC including information on basic needs, health care access, and physical and mental health.

Association of combatant status and sexual violence with health and mental health outcomes in postconflict Liberia.

Context: Liberia's wars since 1989 have cost tens of thousands of lives and left many people mentally and physically traumatized.

Objectives: To assess the prevalence and impact of war-related psychosocial trauma, including information on participation in the Liberian civil wars, exposure to sexual violence, social functioning, and mental health.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A cross-sectional, population-based, multistage random cluster survey of 1666 adults aged 18 years or older using structured interviews and questionnaires, conducted during a 3-week period in May 2008 in Liberia.

Human rights abuses and concerns about women's health and human rights in southern Iraq.

Context: Although human rights abuses have been reported in Iraq, the full scope of these abuses has not been well documented.

Objective: To assess the prevalence of human rights abuses since 1991 in southern Iraq, along with attitudes about women's health and human rights and women's rights and roles in society, to inform reconstruction and humanitarian assistance efforts in Iraq.

Design: Cross-sectional, randomized survey of Iraqi men and women conducted in July 2003 using structured questionnaires.