Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on all aspects of human life. In order to curb the spread of the virus, state governments in the United States put strict mobility restrictions on their citizenry. Although these measures were found to be reasonably efficient in regard to combating the pandemic, they adversely affected some of the most vulnerable populations of the country. In particular, the safety measures implemented by the U.S. government in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus resulted in increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in the country.
Intimate Partner Violence: Definition and Prevalence
IPV is a persistent social problem and a significant public health issue. Broadly, IPV is defined as an act of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse that occurs within any romantic relationship, regardless of marital status (Moreiraa & Da Costa, 2020). This definition can be extended to account for economic abuse or financial mistreatment and exploitation by an intimate partner (Gibbs et al., 2018). Both men and women can become victims of IPV, although women aged 18-24 are most commonly abused, regardless of the gender of their partner (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2022). According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2022), over 10 million people fall victim to abuse, with one in four women and one in nine men experiencing physical, psychological, sexual, and economic IPV. Furthermore, IPV accounts for nearly 15% of all violent crimes in the United States and can result in the victim’s death (National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2022). Victims of IPV suffer substantial physical and mental health harm, with the broader society being affected as well. Overall, IPV is a growing problem in the U.S. and requires an urgent resolution.
The Effect of COVID-19 on IPV
The mobility regulations employed to combat the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted IPV in the United States, as well as other countries. Moreiraa and Da Costa (2020) note that socioeconomic status, unemployment, lack of opportunities for integration into society, and severe distress can lead to abuse in romantic relationships. During the pandemic, these factors were considerably exacerbated, leading to an increase in IPV. According to Agüero (2021), the distress of the pandemic, the economic downturn, forced close proximity, and limited space contributed to the rise of IPV throughout the nations that instituted the stay-at-home policies. The United Nations survey revealed that domestic violence against women rose exponentially due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Berger, 2021). Research suggests that in the United States, the occurrence of IPV increased, with the call to 911 services for domestic disturbances rising significantly at the beginning of the pandemic (Agüero,2021; Garcia et al., 2021). In addition, the severity of IPV worsened, with victims experiencing greater physical and psychological harm (Garcia et al., 2021). Therefore, the COVID-19 pandemic increased IPV and its severity due to the aggravation of factors contributing to domestic abuse.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Access to Critical Services
COVID-19 adversely affected the IPV victims’ access to critical support services, further exacerbating their situation and endangering their lives and well-being. Due to the COVID-19 regulations, numerous shelters offering to house sufferers of IPV, particularly female victims, closed down during the pandemic or were understaffed and unable to provide assistance to many (Buttell & Ferreira, 2020). As group living facilities, shelters were subject to social distancing restrictions and were required to provide isolated accommodation to clients infected with coronavirus, limiting their ability to offer accommodation (Moreiraa & Da Costa, 2020). Moreover, the pandemic changed the attitude of IPV victims toward seeking shelter. Moreiraa and Da Costa (2020) state that victims, whose mental state is altered by the IPV experience, view requesting shelter as undesirable due to the possibility of infecting others with coronavirus. It should be noted that some victims chose to hind their predicament from friends and family for similar reasons (Moreiraa & Da Costa, 2020). Thus, the pandemic-related safety measures limited the ability of IPV victims to seek safe housing.
Furthermore, the pandemic led to the police force and health care facilities being unable to spend many resources on the victims of IPV. The majority of their resources were redirected to focus on COVID-19 and the issues related directly to it, translating into limited support being available for IPV victims. In particular, health care professionals focused on providing medical help to patients with COVID-19, while law enforcement agencies directed their attention to ensuring compliance with regulations and new emergent problems. In addition, the social isolation of IPV victims compromised their ability to seek help from critical services due to forced cohabitation with their abusers and the control exerted over them (Moreiraa & Da Costa, 2020). Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the focus of critical services shifting from IPV and the limited ability of vulnerable persons to contact relevant agencies.
Conclusion
In summary, COVID-19 extensively impacted society, including its most vulnerable sections. The pandemic led to increased IPV as the factors contributing to abuse in intimate relationships were exacerbated by its onset. Furthermore, the spread of the coronavirus limited the ability of IPV victims to reach out for help from critical services and, in some cases, friends and family. The ability of law enforcement agencies and health care facilities to direct resources to assist IPV victims was similarly affected.
References
Agüero, J. M. (2021). COVID-19 and the rise of intimate partner violence. World Development, 137, 1–7.
Berger, M. (2021). The pandemic caused a global surge in domestic violence. For victims with few options, abuse has become the new normal. The Washington Post.
Buttell, F., & Ferreira, R. J. (2020). The hidden disaster of COVID-19: Intimate partner violence. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(1), 197–198.
Garcia, R., Henderson, C., Randell, K., Villaveces, A., Katz, A., Abioye, F., DeGue, S., Premo, K., Miller-Wallfish, S., Chang, J. C., Miller, E., & Ragavan, M. I. (2021). The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on intimate partner violence advocates and agencies. Journal of Family Violence, 37(6), 893–906.
Gibbs, A., Dunkle, K., & Jewkes, R. (2018). Emotional and economic intimate partner violence as key drivers of depression and suicidal ideation: A cross-sectional study among young women in informal settlements in South Africa. PLOS ONE, 13(4), 1–18.
Moreiraa, D. N., & Da Costa, M. P. (2020). The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in the precipitation of intimate partner violence. International journal of law and psychiatry, 71, 1–6.
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence. (2022). National Statistics.