Citation

Seposo XT. JAMA Netw. Open 2022; 5(8): e2229421.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, American Medical Association)

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.29421

PMID

36040745

Abstract

Since 2011, rates of professional help-seeking consultations (ie, inquiries) for domestic violence (DV) have been increasing steadily in Japan, with a considerable upward trend during the COVID-19 pandemic.1 Pandemic-related restrictions have increased time spent in domestic settings and contributed to income instability for both perpetrators and survivors of DV.2 These living conditions affect households with potentially abusive individuals, with survivors of DV bearing most of the physical and mental health burden.3 We compared rates of incident DV inquiries during the COVID-19 pandemic with years before onset in Japan.

This cross-sectional study found that incident DV inquiries in Japan increased between 2011 and 2020. This increase may be associated with a range of factors, including economic instability, increased exposure to exploitative relationships, and reduced support options.2,5 Previous studies note that COVID-19 restrictions have cultivated an environment in which perpetrators of DV exhibit tendencies of dominant control.1,5 Bhandari et al3 recently reported that physical abuse was associated with the state-of-emergency declaration in Japan. They further observed that the incidence of physical abuse was notably higher among female individuals, similar to observations in this study. In the US, DV-related arrests and calls pertaining to family violence have increased during the pandemic compared with similar periods before onset.6

Language: en