Trends in Contacts Made by Immigrants to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objectives: Immigrants in the United States are more likely than nonimmigrants to experience risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) and problems in getting support. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent incidents of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment may have exacerbated exposure to IPV risk factors. We examined immigrant experiences of IPV before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study identified changes in characteristics of abuse, services used, referrals, and barriers to services among those who contacted the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) and identified as immigrants, reported immigration status as a concern, needed immigration support, and/or identified immigration status as a barrier to accessing services (N = 49 817). We used joinpoint regressions to examine whether the rate of change differed significantly from 2016-2019 (before the pandemic) to 2019-2021 (during the pandemic). Results: The number of immigrant contacts to NDVH peaked in 2017 (n = 9333) and declined 25% to 6946 in 2021. During 2016-2019, the percentage of contacts reporting the following increased significantly: technology-facilitated violence (+12.7 percentage points), economic/financial abuse (+10.8 percentage points), and involvement of firearms (+4.8 percentage points); during 2019-2021, these trends reversed. The percentage of contacts reporting separation or divorce was relatively flat until 2019 and then increased from 14.6% in 2019 to 19.9% in 2021 (+5.2 percentage points). Housing instability increased during 2017-2020 (+9.3 percentage points), but requests for shelters decreased (−4.5 percentage points). Immigration status and personal finances were commonly reported barriers to services; both decreased during 2016-2019 but then increased during 2019-2021. Conclusions: This study can inform prevention and response strategies relevant for immigrants experiencing or reporting IPV.