TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Domestic violence assault during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic: a longitudinal community study
JO  - BMC public health
A1  - Kofman, Yasmin B.
A1  - Weiss, Cassidy C. D.
A1  - Yim, Ilona S.
SP  - e715
EP  - e715
VL  - 23
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: The consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic have been far-reaching, disproportionately impacting vulnerable populations. Of particular concern is the impact on individuals experiencing domestic violence (DV), an urgent public health issue. There have been numerous reports of pandemic-related surges in DV, and it has been speculated that prolonged periods of state-mandated isolation may be the source of these surges. The current study utilized publicly available records to examine fluctuations in DV coinciding with COVID-19 lockdown restrictions in a diverse metropolitan county. <br><br>METHODS: Data were extracted from local police blotters and mapping engines in Orange County, California (United States), documenting police-reported DV assault. All incidents were coded for time to examine the time course of DV among other types of assault, allowing for a longitudinal view of incidents over a 66-week window. Changepoint analyses were used to determine whether and when DV assaults changed when mapped with coinciding tightening or loosening of restrictions county-wide. Piecewise regression analyses evaluated whether any detected fluctuations were statistically meaningful. <br><br>RESULTS: In Santa Ana, rates saw a small but significant spike in the week following the first major lockdown in March 2020 (b = .04, SE = .02, t = 2.37, p = .01), remaining stable at this higher level thereafter (b = -.003, SE = .003, t = -1.29, p = .20). In Anaheim, no meaningful change in DV assault rates was observed at any time interval. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Results suggest that surges in DV vary between communities and that systemic issues may set the stage for the surge of an already endemic problem.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1471-2458
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15560-8
ID  - ref1
ER  -