Social Work Responses to Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences and Perspectives of Professionals at Women’s Shelters in Sweden

Abstract

This study explores how social work professionals at women’s shelters in Sweden experience, understand, and are responding to domestic violence under the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. A qualitative longitudinal research design was employed, and multiple semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 professionals at women’s shelters over a period of one year. The results are presented in three overall themes; (a) professional challenges due to increased needs, (b) professionals’ adjustments to new circumstances, and (c) professionals’ attributions regarding client barriers to help seeking. The results show diverse and changing experiences among the professionals as the pandemic progressed. Clients and professionals have shared the same collective trauma associated with the pandemic, which has affected the professionals’ understanding of and response to domestic violence. The professionals understand both clients and themselves as being more vulnerable and susceptible to risk under these new circumstances. Social work adjustments focused on maintaining contact, reducing risk and prioritizing safety, which had both positive and negative consequences for both clients and professionals. The study concludes that the professionals coped with the uncertainty they experienced during the pandemic by relying on both their previous knowledge and work experience of domestic violence and their experience of sharing trauma with clients.

Att hålla ihop det sociala arbetet

“…Kvinnojourerna slog också larm om att det fanns en risk för en skuggpandemi där våldet ökade på grund av att förövaren spenderade mer tid i hemmet och den våldsutsatta hade svårare att larma och söka sig till kvinnojourer för hjälp (UN Women 2020). Detta var också något som verksamhetsföreträdarna nämnde i intervjuerna (Hansson & Petersson 2021;Petersson & Hansson 2022). I intervjuerna kategoriserades detta som ett svårlöst problem utan en omedelbar lösning.…”

Förord

“…Forskning har tydliggjort att hemmet ofta är den plats där kvinnor har störst risk att utsättas för våld (Hoppstadius 2020). Pandemin har gjort att hemarbete kraftigt ökat med risk för ökat patriarkalt våld samtidigt som det blev allt svårare för kvinnor att larma till exempel kvinnojourer om något var fel (jfr Hansson & Petersson 2021;Petersson & Hansson 2022). I skrivande stund vet vi fortfarande inte hur denna utveckling har sett ut eller utvecklat sig, men vi kan tydligt se att de sociala problem som våld i nära relationer skapar, inte bara riskerade att öka under covid-19-pandemin, utan också snabbt transformeras till dolda sociala problem.…”

Syndemic aspects between COVID-19 pandemic and social inequalities

“…Lastly, although masked by the impacts of the pandemic, domestic violence emerges as an important aggravating factor for women's health in the current times[ 17 ]. The lockdown made possible a greater psychological and financial domain of abusers on their victims while making it difficult for these women to seek help[ 18 ]. This exposure to violence was related to the elevation of the risk of death and suicide in females, as well as the development of mental disturbances such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, and depression[ 17 ].…”