COVID-19, Intimate Partner Violence, and Communication Ecologies

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to identify important predictors, related to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, of intimate partner violence (IPV) and to provide insight into communication ecologies that can address IPV in disaster contexts. This study uses a cross-sectional design, with purposive snowball sampling, for primary survey data collected over 10 weeks starting the first week in April 2020. A total of 374 adults participated in the study. Logistic binary regression was used to identify key predictors among sociodemographic characteristics, stress related to COVID-19, and perceived stress of group membership for those who reported IPV experiences. A t test was used to statistically differentiate between IPV-reporters and non-IPV reporters based on perceived stress measured by the Perceived Stress Scale. Results indicated that respondents who reported renting, lost income due to COVID-19, and increased nutritional stress were all more likely to belong to the IPV-reporters group. These findings provide insight into additional stressors related to the ongoing pandemic, such as stress due to income loss, nutritional stress, and renting, and their likelihood of increasing IPV victimization. Taken together, these results indicate that additional communication resources are needed for those affected by IPV. Additional findings and implications are further discussed.

Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health during Lockdown of the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…In recent years, intimate partner violence has been recognized as a real social and public health problem, and has become a central issue on the European political agenda. IPV includes acts of physical and sexual violence, emotional-psychological abuse, and controlling behaviors toward intimate partners of the same or opposite sex [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. According to Johnson’s typology of IPV, there are two prevalent forms of IPV: intimate terrorism (IT) and situational couple violence (SCV).…”

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Intimate Partner Violence against Women in the Czech Republic: Incidence and Associated Factors

“…Another sociodemographic factor related to the incidence of IPV is younger age [ 49 ] and lower income [ 50 ], and in the time of the pandemic specifically a change in income [ 29 ]. We tested both of these factors and neither showed significance.…”

“…In addition, we decided to investigate the associated factors of IPV during pandemic measures, in the categories of socioeconomic (e.g., age, education, monthly income, number of children) and psychological/interpersonal factors (e.g., overall mental health, perceived tension in the relationship with the partner, perceived tension in the relationship with children, perceived emotional support from partner). The factors were selected based on existing studies that highlight possible associations between IPV and socioeconomic factors such as unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 28 ], changes in financial income [ 29 ], or psychological factors such as psychological tension [ 30 ]. However, it is important to mention that studies pointing to these factors are sometimes based on a sample of participants from a particular country, and therefore their validity may not be universal but rather country-specific.…”

COVID-Specific Coercive Control among Emerging Adults Attending College: A Brief Note

“…Finally, abusive partners are more able to monitor and control their partner’s behavior and access to resources because their partners are home more often (Moreira & da Costa, 2020 ). Supporting these assertions, several studies have documented an association between COVID-19 related stressors and risk for IPV victimization (e.g., Arenas-Arroyo et al, 2021 ; Cannon et al, 2021 ; Gresham et al, 2021 ).…”