Family violence and COVID‐19: Increased vulnerability and reduced options for support

Usher, Kim; Bhullar, Navjot; Durkin, Joanne; Gyamfi, Naomi; Jackson, Debra

doi:10.1111/inm.12735

Cited by 787 publications

(693 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Mounting evidence shows that both incidence and death rates related to violence against women have soared during the COVID-19 outbreak [32,[41][42][43][44][45]. In Australia, even though there was a 40% drop in overall crime rates during the outbreak, domestic violence calls have increased 5% [46]. Available evidence from European countries further indicates that there is a 60% spike of emergency calls from female domestic violence victims during the COVID-19 outbreak [33].…”

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Undoubtedly, both health issues related to reproductive health and elevated domestic violence women face can have a grim effect on women's health during COVID-19, especially their mental health conditions [30,46,[49][50][51][52]. Repeated evidence indicates that women who are subject to domestic violence often suffer from traumatic brain injuries (TBI) [53][54][55], which could have a long-term effect on their mental health as well [56].…”

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In other words, though technology-based solutions exist, due to lack of tailored design and consideration of older users [74][75][76], these solutions may have limited utility and functionality for older females. All of these barriers, in turn, can contribute to the most vulnerable of the population left with little to no access to services [2,46,50,62], especially factoring in the digital divide experienced by people who face both health disparities and economic hardships which may further exacerbates these individuals' unmet healthcare needs [77][78][79]. These combined insights indicate that, while women face substantial health issues amid COVID-19, most of these issues may remain unsolved for a prolonged period of time due to lack of available health solutions [46,50,62].…”

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…All of these barriers, in turn, can contribute to the most vulnerable of the population left with little to no access to services [2,46,50,62], especially factoring in the digital divide experienced by people who face both health disparities and economic hardships which may further exacerbates these individuals' unmet healthcare needs [77][78][79]. These combined insights indicate that, while women face substantial health issues amid COVID-19, most of these issues may remain unsolved for a prolonged period of time due to lack of available health solutions [46,50,62]. This, undoubtedly will further worsen the dire situations women face on a daily basis [46,50,62].…”

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These combined insights indicate that, while women face substantial health issues amid COVID-19, most of these issues may remain unsolved for a prolonged period of time due to lack of available health solutions [46,50,62]. This, undoubtedly will further worsen the dire situations women face on a daily basis [46,50,62].…”

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence-based health solutions for challenges women face during pandemics like COVID-19: A systematic review protocol

Wagers

Lopez

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Background One of the most vulnerable populations to COVID-19 is women. Multiple factors associated with violence against women (i.e. sexual assault, domestic violence, homelessness) create an increased vulnerability for women during the COVID pandemic. Women also constitute the majority of older nursing home residents and healthcare workers (e.g., nurses), who have the most pronounced exposure to COVID-19. These factors combined with resource restraints like rationing and lack of access to healthcare can further exacerbate women’s physical and psychological health issues. While literature has well-documented challenges that women face during COVID-19, there is a lack of evidence-based solutions that have the potential to mitigate these difficulties. Therefore, to address this issue, we aim to conduct a systematic review of the literature to: (1) identify interventions designed for women in the context of pandemics, (2) describe the characteristics and effects of these interventions concerning the distinctive traits of women and pandemics, and (3) present evidence-based health solutions for women to mitigate challenges they face amid and beyond COVID-19. Methods A systematic review of literature will be conducted on databases including PubMed, PsycINFO on the EBSCO platform, CINAHL on the EBSCO platform, and Scopus, based on a search strategy developed in consultation with an experienced medical librarian. Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles will be screened against eligibility criteria developed a priori. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses procedures will be adopted as the reporting framework, and data extracted (e.g., intervention details) will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary research team. Results NA for now—This is a protocol study. Conclusions Findings of this study will fill an important void in the literature. Considering that, in times of pandemic, women are especially subject to grim health disparities, like pronounced exposure to COVID-19, reproductive health issues, elevated domestic violence, increased mental health challenges, and lack of access to healthcare services, the need for evidence-based health solutions that could address these unique challenges is of paramount importance. A comprehensive understanding of the characteristics and effects of health solutions available to women in the context of pandemics can also help researchers identify areas of improvement regarding intervention design and development. This may further safeguard women’s health and wellbeing amid pandemics like COVID-19 and beyond. Study Protocol Registration: PROSPERO CRD42020194003

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Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Study Protocol Registration: Prospero Crd42020194003mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evidence-based health solutions for challenges women face during pandemics like COVID-19: A systematic review protocol

Wagers

Lopez

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Responding to Intimate Partner Violence During Telehealth Clinical Encounters

Simon

2021

JAMA

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men in the US have experienced violence from an intimate partner in their lifetime. 1 However, for many individuals, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant sheltering at home have increased levels of stress, panic, and financial and emotional strain. The World Health Organization defines intimate partner violence (IPV) as behavior by a partner, spouse, or ex-partner that can cause or causes physical, sexual, or psychological harm. 2 A United Nations report cited a global surge in IPV accompanying the stay-at-home and lockdown orders. 3 It is possible that IPV cases in many countries have significantly increased. While a recent JAMA Clinical Insights focused on recognizing and responding to IPV during in-person clinical care visits, 2 the context of IPV identification and supportive care approaches using telehealth modalities warrants attention.Telehealth and telemedicine have been defined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as "the exchange of medical information from one site to another through electronic communication to improve a patient's health." 4 One of the transformative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a substantial increase in telehealth use across many health care service disciplines. For example, in a survey of 3500 family physicians and pediatricians, only 12% worked in a practice that used telehealth in 2016, whereas more than 90% of primary care physicians offered telehealth after the first 2 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. 5 It is important to note that there have not been any large randomized trials evaluating the accuracy of identifying IPV in telehealth formats. However, there have been studies documenting acceptability and feasibility of trauma-informed, digitally delivered interventions focused on preventing violence to increase safety and decisionmaking of persons in abusive relationships and linking them to online support. 6 Thus, this move to telehealth has posed new challenges to both IPV screening and support. Namely, compromised privacy at home may enable a controlling partner to overhear responses to screening questions about IPV and become suspicious or even violent, and supportive care for IPV-related injury or provision of resources may require an in-person visit. To help facilitate access to and use of IPV screening questions and resource lists, it is recommended that "smartphrases" be created in the electronic health record.Because the experience of violence and trauma can affect physical, sexual, reproductive, and mental health, it is important to support clinicians in screening, identifying, and responding to IPV, including within the context of telehealth encounters such as those occurring during the COVID-19 pandemic. Often clinicians do not want to ask about IPV because of logistical concerns (eg, ensuring patient privacy), or they may not know how to address an affirma-Supplemental content Clinical Review & Education JAMA Insights

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Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic

et al. 2020

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Key Points Question Are sociodemographic, psychosocial, and health-related factors associated with risk of poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK? Findings This cohort study using data from a large panel study including 51 417 adults found that the risks of moderate and severe depressive symptom trajectories were significantly higher among people experiencing abuse or low social support, individuals with low socioeconomic position, and those with preexisting mental and physical health conditions. Meaning These findings suggest that mental health and socioeconomic interventions in the current or future pandemics should be targeted toward people with these risk factors.

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Family violence and COVID‐19: Increased vulnerability and reduced options for support

Cited by 787 publications

References 4 publications

Evidence-based health solutions for challenges women face during pandemics like COVID-19: A systematic review protocol

Evidence-based health solutions for challenges women face during pandemics like COVID-19: A systematic review protocol

Responding to Intimate Partner Violence During Telehealth Clinical Encounters

Levels of Severity of Depressive Symptoms Among At-Risk Groups in the UK During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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