The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) Against Women

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global public health crisis associated with adverse physical, psychological, economic, and social consequences. Studies on the impact of COVID-19 on IPV against women are scarce. This study aimed to understand the impact of COVID-19 on IPV against women. Google Scholar, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library were searched using the MeSH terms intimate partner violence, COVID-19, and women. Exclusion criteria were male-partner, elder, and child abuse and studies that targeted specific groups such as cancer, HIV, and substance abuse. Two independent reviewers completed the title, abstract screening, and review of selected articles. Thirteen out of 647 articles met the inclusion criteria. IPV against women increased in nine countries (Spain, United States, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Turkey, Peru, Bangladesh, Czech Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo); one country showed no change in gender-based violence among adolescent girls and young women (Kenya); and one study reported a decrease in IPV reporting by victims (United States). Policies made to mitigate the pandemic created unintended consequences that exacerbated risk factors for IPV against women. Lessons learned from COVID-19 must be used to develop policy-level support and response services to mitigate IPV against women amid a pandemic and other human crises.

Differential Experiences of Intimate Partner Violence during COVID-19: A Cross-Regional Study in Mexico

“…These findings align with previous research showing that before the pandemic, around 35% of women globally experienced IPV [42]. They are also supported by other studies that report risk factors for IPV, including lower socio-economic status, unemployment or financial dependence on the perpetrator, limited social support, geographic isolation, and community tolerance of IPV [23,41,42].…”

“…Interviews with our participants revealed a consistent IPV pattern that supports prior research [23,41,42]: women from all socio-economic backgrounds experienced some form of IPV prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.…”

Intimate Partner Abuse and Homicide During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Situational Action Theory Analysis

“…Although a wave of publications appeared in the initial wake of the pandemic predicting a "shadow pandemic" (UN Women, 2020), based on preliminary and anecdotal evidence, as a wider perspective and evidence base has developed, the picture remains unclear (Miller et al, 2022). Many studies report increases in IPA, but those encompassing more data and accounting for more confounds suggest these increases are smaller than predicted (Piquero et al, 2021;Thiel et al, 2022;Uzoho et al, 2023) and vary significantly, with IPA increasing in some contexts (e.g., Evcili & Demirel, 2022;Hamadani et al, 2020;Keilholtz et al, 2023;Romito et al, 2022;Soeiro et al, 2023), remaining unchanged in some contexts (e.g., Chiaramonte et al, 2022;Miller et al, 2022;Tierolf et al, 2021), and even decreasing in some contexts (e.g., Capinha et al, 2022;Estlein et al, 2022;Gosangi et al, 2021;Jetelina et al, 2021;Plášilová et al, 2021). Some evidence suggests that incidents of IPA did not substantially increase, but the severity did (e.g., Estlein et al, 2022;Gosangi et al, 2021;Stripe, 2020;Thiel et al, 2022;Trafford, 2022), mainly among those with a prior history of IPA (e.g., Lausi et al, 2021;Plášilová et al, 2021;Thiel et al, 2022).…”

“…If IPA achieved desired outcomes more regularly during stay-at-home restrictions, it may have become increasingly habituatedincreasingly the only alternative perceived and thus automatically chosen for action in response to certain motivations. Activation and consequently strengthening of existing habits may explain why IPA increased among those with a history of IPA prior to the pandemic (Lausi et al, 2021;Plášilová et al, 2021;Uzoho et al, 2023), while the formation of new habits may help explain why there was a rise in certain forms of IPA (such as IPP).…”

The association between psychological distress, abusive experiences, and help-seeking among people with intimate partner violence

“…According to recent single-day statistics retrieved in 2020, due to lockdown and quarantine policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, only an estimated 2,574 survivors had sought help from the state violence prevention programs, in which 198 (7.6%) help-seeking requests went unmet due to inadequate resources provided [ 13 ]. However, compared to previous years, the incidence of IPV increased by more than 1.8 times during COVID-19, with sexual and physical violence rising sharply [ 14 ].. The most common sources of help-seeking for IPV survivors come from informal resources such as family or friends, rather than formal resources such as police or medical professionals [ 15 ].…”