Intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic in Western and Southern European countries

Abstract

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant problem with several negative health outcomes. Disasters are linked to increased IPV, but little is known about reporting of and strategies to address IPV during the Covid-19 pandemic. This review maps the IPV reporting during the pandemic and interventions to prevent and respond to IPV in eleven Western and Southern European countries. Methods Government websites, news articles and pre-prints were searched using the terms “domestic violence” or “violence” in combination with “Covid” or “Corona”. Embase, Pubmed, Scopus and Google Scholar were searched using the terms “domestic violence” and “partner violence”, and “interventions”. Results Six countries showed an increase in domestic violence reports (Austria, Belgium, France, Ireland, Spain, and the UK), two countries a drop (Italy and Portugal), two countries showed no change (the Netherlands and Switzerland), and one country did not provide comparative data (Germany). Common measures to address IPV were starting a campaign (nine countries), creating online support (seven), more funding for alternative accommodation (seven) and support (eight), and use of a code word (four). Conclusion IPV reports or helpline calls in Western and Southern European countries in the first weeks of Covid-19 measures increased in six countries, remained the same in two countries, and showed a decrease in two countries. While this review cannot ascertain the impact of the measures taken by the countries during the pandemic and beyond, this mapping provides a foundation for future research, and an opportunity to trace the efficacy of these strategies.

Mental health, quality of life and optimism during the covid-19 pandemic: a comparison between Brazil and Portugal

“…In contrast to the Brazilian scenario, domestic violence in Portugal seems to have dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Portuguese government carried out specific actions to fight and raise awareness, which may have positively impacted the reduction of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic [52].…”

COVID-19 and Romantic Relationships

“…These changes appeared not only in heterosexual relationships but in queer couples, too [66]. The situation did not improve over time, and the reports of IPV continued to be high [4,70,75]. There are also reports that show that some countries reported fewer official incidents of IPV than before the pandemic [4], but, unfortunately, the situation might not be that good, and a lot of IPV cases might go unreported.…”

“…The restrictions imposed by the authorities due to the COVID-19 pandemic seem to also have had a significant impact on romantic conflicts and intimate partner violence (IPV) [4,65,66]. IPV encompasses any set of behaviors that lead to physical, psychological or sexual harm in an intimate relationship [67].…”

“…After the pandemic started, some experts were trying to bring attention to the possibility of a rapidly growing number of IPV incidents as a result of the lockdown [72][73][74]. In addition, recent research does indeed highlight a growing percentage of IPV incidents all over the world [4,70,75].…”

“…Secondly, it presents the most important findings related to the functioning of intimate relationships in youth and adult populations. Next, it provides some information about one of the most noteworthy concerns regarding the pandemic, namely, the potential increase in intimate partner violence [4]. Finally, it introduces some findings and recommendations related to the therapeutic process during the pandemic.…”