Citation

Alibudbud R. Asian J. Psychiatry 2021; 67: e102953.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ajp.2021.102953

PMID

34871969

Abstract

Trauma including gender-based violence (GBV) requires us to bear witness to the human capacity to bring about social suffering to another in the context of a seemingly orderly society (Herman, 2015). Although GBV is widely experienced by women and people of diverse sexualities and genders in all countries and social groups (Dlamini, 2021, Morgan and Bhugra, 2010), it is often overlooked, under-recognized, and under-addressed (Herman, 2015). GBV can include any physical, psychological, and sexual violence that is directed against a person based on their sex or gender (Dlamini, 2021). While others may do well after an experience of GBV, some may manifest severe traumatic symptoms. These can manifest as an individual's call to deflect the traumatic experience from consciousness or to bring about their unspeakable secret through alternating between feeling numb and reliving the event (Herman, 2015). These outcomes varied based on both individual and social vulnerabilities. Nonetheless, these traumatic experiences can aggravate mental health conditions (Morgan and Bhugra, 2010, Sadock et al., 2015). Notably, more than 50% of individuals who become victims of GBV develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (Morgan and Bhugra, 2010).

When away from the eye of public order, the human capacity for these atrocities can be magnified (Herman, 2015). This may be the case during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdowns. During the lockdown in 2020, at least 243 million women and girls had been victims of sexual and physical violence perpetrated by an intimate partner (Dlamini, 2021). Both developing and developed countries have witnessed these atrocities. In particular, there was an increase in domestic violence and/or helpline calls by about 25-30% in France, Singapore, Cyprus, and Argentina during the lockdowns. Women rights groups and civil society organizations in Canada, China, Germany, Spain, the UK, and the USA had similarly observed the increased incidence of trauma-related GBV during the pandemic (Dlamini, 2021).

These higher rates of GBV can further magnify the waves of mental health adversities and disparities brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. These waves have been construed as long-term problems that may persist beyond the pandemic, itself. Previous discussions of the mental health wave have focused on the ability of the pandemic to magnify mortality and worsen morbidity among people with mental health conditions such as psychosis, depression, and anxiety (O'Connor et al., 2021, Tandon, 2020, Tandon, 2021a). Given the heightened GBV during the pandemic and the ability of GBV to aggravate these conditions (Dlamini, 2021, Morgan and Bhugra, 2010), GBV and its consequences on mental health must be addressed...

Language: en

Keywords

Gender; Trauma; Violence; Mental health; COVID-19