Date of Award

6-2023

Document Type

Union College Only

Department

Sociology

Second Department

Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies

First Advisor

Rosemary Patterson

Second Advisor

Erika Nelson Mukherjee

Language

English

Keywords

Intimate Partner Violence, Isolation

Abstract

In early March 2020, the world shut down in hopes of controlling the rapidly spreading respiratory virus COVID-19, however, during this same period of time, intimate partner violence, also known as IPV, was rapidly increasing (Johnson and Green 2020: 1; Mineo, 2022: 2). On average, 15 million Americans are victims of intimate partner violence annually, and the global lockdown and isolation created the perfect opportunity for abusers to go unseen and victims to be unprotected. Some even consider intimate partner violence during COVID-19 as a "pandemic within a pandemic" (Johnson et al., 2020: 1). The populations most at risk are women, ages 18-24, yet the examination of this population during this unprecedented time has not been thoroughly reviewed (Catalano, 2012:4; Edwards & Littleton, 2016: 2; Brewer et al. 2018: 683). This study aims to identify how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced IPV among 18-24 year-olds living with their partner and those who were separated, as well as the treatment barriers from the perspective of clinicians. The findings will provide an in-depth understanding of the last three years in the United States and shine a light on an issue that is most often overlooked. Methods Licensed clinicians from domestic violence agencies in the NY Capital Region were invited to participate in a semi-structured interview. Each clinician participated in a 45-minute semi-structured zoom video conference interview with the principal investigator. The Zoom calls were recorded for the purpose of transcription and thematic analysis. Results Four themes emerged within the interview data: COVID, Safety, Seeking Help, and Outreach, with sub themes including: Treatment Methods, Barriers, Resources, Housing, Client Experiences, Safety procedures, Demographic, Forms of violence, and Misconceptions of abuse. Conclusions These findings suggest that there was an increase in physical IPV among those quarantined with their abusers and an increase in stalking and online abuse for those living separately. Clinicians saw an initial decrease in those seeking help before an increase months after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States.

Download
Off-Campus Download

Share

COinS
 

Rights Statement

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted.