Changes in intimate partner violence during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

Jetelina, Katelyn K.; Knell, Gregory; Molsberry, Rebecca

doi:10.1136/injuryprev-2020-043831

Cited by 120 publications

(171 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…While the number of cases was small, there was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of cases reporting psychological or emotional abuse, from 11.69% (8 cases) in 2018 to 28.57% (9 cases) in 2020. This finding is similar to an online survey of 2441 respondents conducted in the USA that found that 18% of respondents had experienced intimate partner violence since COVID-19, with the most common form being emotional or psychological abuse [39]. Emotional or psychological abuse is priority issues in child maltreatment cases; however, it is often a neglected component of adult domestic violence and sexual assault cases [40], which often focuses on physical trauma or circumstances that meet criminal thresholds [41].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

Muldoon

Denize

Talarico

et al. 2021

BMC Med

105

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Background There is little information on care-seeking patterns for sexual assault and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in emergency department (ED) admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Methods Observational ED admissions data from The Ottawa Hospital were analyzed from March 4 to May 5 (62 days) in 2020 (COVID-19 period) and compared to the same period in 2018 (pre-COVID-19). Total and mean weekly admissions were calculated for all-cause ED admissions and for sexual and domestic violence cases. A Poisson regression (without offset term) was used to calculate the weekly case count ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between the two time periods. Case characteristics were compared using chi-square tests, and percent differences were calculated. Results Compared to pre-COVID-19, total ED admissions dropped by 1111.22 cases per week (32.9% reduction), and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program cases dropped 4.66 cases per week. The weekly case count ratio for sexual assault cases was 0.47 (95% CI 0.79–0.27), equivalent of 53.49% reduction in cases, and 0.52 (95% CI 0.93–0.29), equivalent to a 48.45% reduction in physical assault cases. The characteristics of presenting cases were similar by age (median 25 years), sex (88.57% female), assault type (57.14% sexual assault, 48.57% physical assault), and location (31.43% patient’s home, 40.00% assailant’s home). There was a significant increase in psychological abuse (11.69% vs 28.57%) and assaults occurring outdoors (5.19% vs 22.86%). Conclusion This study found a decrease in ED admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence during COVID-19, despite societal conditions that elevate risk of violence. Trends in care-seeking and assault patterns will require ongoing monitoring to inform the provision of optimal support for individuals experiencing violence, particularly as countries begin to re-open or lock-down again.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

Muldoon

Denize

Talarico

et al. 2021

BMC Med

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Following the lead of previous reviews, also in our work we found a sharp spike in DV cases reported around the globe (Agüero 2020; Baig et al 2020;Barbara et al 2020;Boserup et al 2020;Bradley et al 2020;Chandan et al 2020;Gebrewahd et al 2020;Ghoshal et al 2020;Goh et al 2020;Gosangi et al 2020;Jarnecke et al 2020;Jetelina et al 2020;Kaukinen et al 2020;Kofman et al 2020;Kumar 2020;Leslie et al 2020;Mahase et al 2020;Mazza et al 2020;Neil 2020;Nigam 2020;Piquero et al 2020;Qin et al 2020;Roesch et al 2020;Roseboom et al 2020;Sifat 2020;Telles et al 2020;Tochie et al 2020;Vieira et al 2020;Yahya et al 2020;Zargham et al 2020). For example, Aguero (2020) in a study conducted in Peru, one of the several countries which imposed a national lockdown in March, found that the incidence rate of calls to helplines centres increased around 48% between April and July 2020.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 81%

IPV and COVID-19: A systematic review of the literature

Landoni¹

2020

Preprint

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Purpose: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is an urgent matter, and a global concern for several countries across the world highlighted high numbers and percentages also before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Further, international states and organizations have claimed an increase in IPV numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic, raising awareness of the potential causes and providing urgent recommendations and guidelines to follow for the containment and possible interventions. Based on these priorities, this review aims to explore and analyze the existing scientific literature on the association and consequences of COVID-19 on Domestic Violence and to sum up the strategies and recommendations for clinicians and health care workers. Methods: The electronic databases of PubMed, Scopus and Science of Direct were searched. Papers published between 2019 and 2020, written in English and having as main focus the domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, were included. Results: At the final stage, 60 articles were included and analyzed. Results pointed three pre-determined categories: the course, the dynamics, the recommendations and an adjunctive category DV and disasters. Conclusions: Since COVID-19 is responsible for a spike in DV cases, it is essential to implement specific and shared assessment strategies and targeted interventions in order to prevent the adverse outcomes of IPV.

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“…The current study focused on lower levels of relationship conflict that may precede or exacerbate more serious forms of conflict. Recent studies raise concerns about increasing victimization among IPV victims (Jetelina et al, 2020), whether police are responding adequately to increased IPV calls (Bullinger et al, 2020), and increasing severity of IPV injuries (Gosangi et al, 2020). Thus, one implication is the need to ensure effective intervention and response how to IPV during social distancing and stay-at-home orders.…”

Section: Implications For Policy Practice and Interventionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Longitudinal Analysis of Short-term Changes in Relationship Conflict During COVID-19: A Risk and Resilience Perspective

Lee¹,

Ward²,

Rodriguez³

2020

Preprint

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This study uses a risk and resilience framework to examine short-term self-reported changes in relationship conflict early in the COVID-19 pandemic (March and April 2020). Longitudinal data from U.S. adults in a romantic relationship (N = 291) were collected via three waves of an online survey. Participants self-reported anxiety, depression, increased alcohol use, and dyadic coping since the pandemic. Relationship conflict variables included whether the participant reported that they and their partner “had disagreements related to the Coronavirus,” “had more disagreements than usual,” “had more verbal fights than usual,” and “had more physical fights than usual” in the past 2 weeks. Analyses controlled for sociodemographic characteristics as well as days spent in lockdown and employment change due to COVID-19. Results indicated that couples’ disagreement and verbal fighting scores increased from Time 1 to Time 2, but disagreements related to COVID-19 and physical fighting did not. Couples with higher levels of dyadic coping reported fewer fights and disagreements on average. However, dyadic coping did not buffer participants from increases in relationship conflict. Increased alcohol use since the pandemic was positively associated with disagreements related to COVID-19, disagreement scores, and verbal fighting scores. More days spent in lockdown was associated with increases in disagreements related to COVID-19. The conditions created by COVID-19 may contribute to worsening relationship conflict, even among couples who start with high levels of dyadic coping. Depression and alcohol use may contribute to poorer relationship quality during the pandemic. There is need for enhanced intervention and mental health supports to mitigate the potential effects of the pandemic on couples’ relationship functioning.

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Changes in intimate partner violence during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA

Cited by 120 publications

References 11 publications

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

IPV and COVID-19: A systematic review of the literature

Longitudinal Analysis of Short-term Changes in Relationship Conflict During COVID-19: A Risk and Resilience Perspective

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