Intimate Partners Violence against Women during a COVID-19 Lockdown Period: Results of an Online Survey in 7 Provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

Intimate Partners’ Violence (IPV) is a public health problem with long-lasting mental and physical health consequences for victims and their families. As evidence has been increasing that COVID-19 lockdown measures may exacerbate IPV, our study sought to describe the magnitude of IPV in women and identify associated determinants. An online survey was conducted in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from 24 August to 8 September 2020. Of the 4160 respondents, 2002 eligible women were included in the data analysis. Their mean age was 36.3 (SD: 8.2). Most women (65.8%) were younger than 40 years old. Prevalence of any form of IPV was 11.7%. Being in the 30–39 and >50 years’ age groups (OR = 0.66, CI: 0.46–0.95; p = 0.026 and OR = 0.23, CI: 0.11–048; p < 0.001, respectively), living in urban setting (OR = 0.63, CI: 0.41–0.99; p = 0.047), and belonging to the middle socioeconomic class (OR = 0.48, CI: 0.29–0.79; p = 0.003) significantly decreased the odds for experiencing IPV. Lower socioeconomic status (OR = 1.84, CI: 1.04–3.24; p = 0.035) and being pregnant (OR = 1.63, CI: 1.16–2.29; p = 0.005) or uncertain of pregnancy status (OR = 2.01, CI: 1.17–3.44; p = 0.011) significantly increased the odds for reporting IPV. Additional qualitative research is needed to identify the underlying reasons and mechanisms of IPV in order to develop and implement prevention interventions.

Tendência da violência doméstica e familiar contra mulher no período de 2019/2020 em Itabuna/Bahia com ênfase na pandemia pelo SARS-CoV-2: prevalência e fatores associados

“…Estudos internacionais realizados em diversos países no período da pandemia corroboram com os resultados deste estudo, relacionado a uma maior ocorrência da VDFCM em mulheres mais jovens, apesar das diferenças de agrupamento de faixa etária encontrados na literatura foi possível identificar a prevalência dessas ocorrências em idades que variam entre 20 e 45 anos (Moawad et al, 2021;Yari et al, 2021;Huq et al, 2021;Alharbi et al, 2021;Ditekemena et al, 2021;Mahmood et al, 2021).…”

“…Estudos internacionais realizados no contexto da pandemia também encontraram resultados semelhantes (Moawad et al, 2021;Huq et al, 2021;Mahmood et al, 2021;Ditekemena et al, 2021). Vale ressaltar que, em geral, há ocorrência de mais de um tipo de violência, onde se encontra a violência física estão presentes três ou mais tipos de violência (Mendes et al 2017).…”

Violencia en el hogar contra mujeres adultas durante el confinamiento por la pandemia de Covid-19 en México

“…Los principales factores de riesgo asociados fueron el nivel socioeconómico bajo (OR= 1.84, IC95%: 1.04,3.24) y estar embarazada (OR= 1.63, IC95%: 1.16,2.29). 20 Un estudio en línea con 687 mujeres árabes en Jordania arrojó una prevalencia de violencia En ese contexto, es posible suponer que la Ensanut 2020 Covid-19 presenta una posible subestimación de la violencia en el hogar. Se ha reportado previamente que cuando las encuestas generales de salud introducen preguntas sobre violencia se observa un subreporte, lo cual constituye una de las principales limitaciones del estudio.…”

Factors of Violence Against Women During Covid-19 Pandemic: Literature Review

“…Wanita dan pria yang memiliki usia rata-rata sama, menyatakan bahwa perempuan memiliki tingkat sosial yang lebih rendah dibandingkan laki-laki. Status sosial dibandingkan dalam hal tingkat pendidikan dan pekerjaan mereka [14].…”