Intimate partner violence during COVID-19 restrictions: A study of 30 countries from the I-SHARE consortium

• Main Authors: Campbell, Linda, Tan, Rayner K. J., Uhlich, Maximiliane, Francis, Joel M., Mark, Kristen, Miall, Naomi, Eleuteri, Stefano, Gabster, Amanda, Shamu, Simukai, Plasilova, Leona, Kemigisha, Elizabeth, Olumide, Adesola, Kosana, Priya, Hurtado-Murillo, Felipe, Larsson, Elin C., Cleeve, Amanda, Calvo Gonzalez, Soraya, Perrotta, Gabriela, Fernandez Albamonte, Victoria, Blanco, Lucia, Schroeder, Johanna, Adebayo, Adedamola, Hendriks, Jacqueline, Saltis, Hanna, Marks, Michael, Wu, Dan, Morroni, Chelsea, Esho, Tammary, Briken, Peer, Hlatshwako, Takhona Grace, Ryan, Rebecca, Nik Farid, Nik Daliana, Gomez Bravo, Raquel, Van de Velde, Sarah, Tucker, Joseph D., Consortium, I-SHARE Res
• Format: Article
• Published: SAGE Publications 2023
• Subjects: BF Psychology; HQ The family. Marriage. Woman
• Online Access: http://eprints.um.edu.my/38770/
• Institution: Universiti Malaya

Intimate partner violence (IPV) causes substantial physical and psychological trauma. Restrictions introduced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdowns and movement restrictions, may exacerbate IPV risk and reduce access to IPV support services. This cross-sectional study examines IPV during COVID-19 restrictions in 30 countries from the International Sexual HeAlth and REproductive Health (I-SHARE) study conducted from July 20th, 2020, to February, 15th, 2021. IPV was a primary outcome measure adapted from a World Health Organization multicountry survey. Mixed-effects modeling was used to determine IPV correlates among participants stratified by cohabitation status. The sample included 23,067 participants from 30 countries. A total of 1,070/15,336 (7.0%) participants stated that they experienced IPV during COVID-19 restrictions. A total of 1,486/15,336 (9.2%) participants stated that they had experienced either physical or sexual partner violence before the restrictions, which then decreased to 1,070 (7.0%) after the restrictions. In general, identifying as a sexual minority and experiencing greater economic vulnerability were associated with higher odds of experiencing IPV during COVID-19 restrictions, which were accentuated among participants who were living with their partners. Greater stringency of COVID-19 restrictions and living in urban or semi-urban areas were associated with lower odds of experiencing IPV in some settings. The I-SHARE data suggest a substantial burden of IPV during COVID-19 restrictions. However, the restrictions were correlated with reduced IPV in some settings. There is a need for investing in specific support systems for survivors of IPV during the implementation of restrictions designed to contain infectious disease outbreaks.