This study examined the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence and the provision of services for victims and survivors of domestic violence in the United States. This report summarizes the key study outcomes and discusses the broader impacts of the study.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the threats linked to domestic violence were on the rise, creating an alarming situation for many individuals. The onset of the pandemic aggravated existing risk factors and introduced additional layers of risk within the home environment. These risks include but are not limited to isolation, financial stress, relationship stress, weapon presence, crowded home environment due to stay-at-home orders, and coercive control by perpetrators. Among the many domestic violence risk factors identified, the indoor coercive control exercised by perpetrators was the most significant. These factors increased the risk for multiple forms of domestic violence, including physical and sexual abuse, emotional and verbal abuse, technological abuse, reproductive coercion, and stalking.

The social isolation, economic uncertainty, and difficulties accessing essential support services during the pandemic, coupled with increased coercion of and control over domestic violence victims, hindered victims' safe access to help. Victims and survivors faced notable challenges during the pandemic, including limited shelter and housing options, a lack of legal support, and delays in legal proceedings. Victim service organizations faced barriers in meeting the needs of the victims and survivors due to staff shortages and the burnout and vicarious trauma experienced by staff members.

There is a growing recognition of the importance of providing services to domestic violence victims by incorporating an intersectional approach that considers different facets of victims' identity, such as their race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, immigration status, and disability status. There is a clear need to adopt culturally sensitive services to address diverse populations' emerging needs while ensuring flexible funding and policies, particularly in rural areas and jurisdictions that face isolation. Enhanced telehealth and innovative remote victim services are essential for effectively supporting domestic violence victims and survivors during large-scale public health crises. Community-based advocacy programs and trauma-informed care are crucial to developing policy measures to address the lethality of abuse, enhance safety planning, reduce harm, and ultimately prevent and end domestic violence.

At the beginning of the pandemic, the scientific and practitioner communities from different fields called for rapid, theoretically informed, and practice-oriented inquiry into domestic violence risks and services. Domestic violence is a public health, criminal justice, and human rights problem that hurts not only the victims but also their communities and the greater society. By integrating criminology, epidemiology, public health, and advocacy perspectives with rapid assessment methodology, this study provided a blueprint for analyzing risks and service needs (and other similar topics) during and following pandemics, epidemics, and disasters.

This theory-informed systematic analysis of domestic violence risks, service needs, and service provision during the COVID-19 pandemic identified the situational and sociocultural factors that predict domestic violence victimization during the pandemic. A unique contribution of this study is the use of Rapid Assessment Methodology and a multi-disciplinary theoretical framework to understand the multifaceted nature of domestic violence and assess the service needs of domestic violence victims. This approach assisted not only in identifying the interaction of risk factors at different levels but also in identifying nationwide proactive and protective interventions.

Last Modified: 12/09/2024
Modified by: Yasemin Irvin-Erickson