Exacerbation of Physical Intimate Partner Violence during Covid-19 Pandemic

Bibliographic Data

ID23359474
AuthorsBabina Gosangi (0000-0003-4855-4232, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Hyesun Park (0000-0003-0707-1875, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Richard Thomas (0000-0002-3325-1952, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Rahul Gujrathi (0000-0003-2581-2315, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Camden Bay (0000-0001-7197-3465, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Ali S Raja (0000-0002-8909-3586, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Steven E Seltzer (0000-0002-1265-8040, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Marta Chadwick Balcom (0000-0002-3324-5683, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Meghan L McDonald (0000-0001-7420-5103, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Dennis P Orgill (0000-0002-8279-7310, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Mitchel B Harris (0000-0001-7003-6138, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Giles W Boland (0000-0002-2145-0479, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Kathryn M Rexrode (0000-0003-3387-8429, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Bharti Khurana (0000-0002-7159-3435, Brigham and Women's Hospital)
Year2021
Volume298
Issue1
PagesE38-E45
Publication date2021-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueRadiology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-8419 • E-ISSN: 1527-1315
PublisherRadiological Society of North America (RSNA) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1148/radiol.2020202866
PMID32787700
OpenAlexW3048439688
LanguageEN
Citations received79
References cited13

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a global social and public health problem, but published literature regarding the exacerbation of physical IPV during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is lacking. Purpose To assess the incidence, patterns, and severity of injuries in IPV victims during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 compared with the prior 3 years. Materials and Methods The demographics, clinical presentation, injuries, and radiologic findings of patients reporting physical abuse arising from IPV during the statewide COVID-19 pandemic between March 11 and May 3, 2020, were compared with data from the same period for the past 3 years. Pearson χ2 and Fisher exact tests were used for analysis. Results A total of 26 victims of physical IPV from 2020 (mean age, 37 years ± 13 [standard deviation]; 25 women) were evaluated and compared with 42 victims of physical IPV (mean age, 41 years ± 15; 40 women) from 2017 to 2019. Although the overall number of patients who reported IPV decreased during the pandemic, the incidence of physical IPV was 1.8 times greater (95% CI: 1.1, 3.0; P = .01). The total number of deep injuries was 28 during 2020 versus 16 from 2017 to 2019; the number of deep injuries per victim was 1.1 during 2020 compared with 0.4 from 2017 to 2019 (P < .001). The incidence of high-risk abuse defined by mechanism was two times greater in 2020 (95% CI: 1.2, 4.7; P = .01). Patients who experienced IPV during the COVID-19 pandemic were more likely to be White; 17 (65%) victims in 2020 were White compared with 11 (26%) in the prior years (P = .007). Conclusion There was a higher incidence and severity of physical intimate partner violence (IPV) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic compared with the prior 3 years. These results suggest that victims of IPV delayed reaching out to health care services until the late stages of the abuse cycle during the COVID-19 pandemic. © RSNA, 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) · Disease · Domestic violence · Environmental health · Exacerbation · Incidence (geometry) · Infectious disease (medical specialty) · Injury prevention · Occupational safety and health · Pandemic · Pathology · Physical abuse · Poison control · Public health · Suicide prevention · Demography · Elder Abuse and Neglect · Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse · Internal Medicine · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Medicine