Intimate Partner Violence in the Late COVID-19 Period: A Study of 10 Countries from the I-SHARE Consortium

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious public health issue and violation of human rights. During 2021–2022, many countries relaxed COVID-19 restrictions. This provided a unique opportunity to understand the prevalence and correlates of IPV during a period of relaxing COVID-19 restrictions. This cross-sectional study examined IPV during this period from the International Sexual HeAlth and REproductive Health (I-SHARE) study conducted from March to July 2022. Mixed-effects modeling was used to determine correlations of physical, sexual, and psychological violence as compared to before the COVID-19 restrictions. The population comprised individuals in 10 countries (Armenia, Brazil, Egypt, Denmark, Germany, Moldova, Nigeria, Portugal, Singapore and Spain). Our sample included 4,464 participants from these countries. In the previous 3 months, a total of 150 (6.1%) and 114 (4.6%) participants experienced physical violence once or multiple times, respectively. A total of 129 (5.1%) and 174 (6.9%) of participants experienced any form of sexual violence once or multiple times, respectively; and 377 (13.7%) and 574 (20.9%) of participants experienced any form of psychological violence once or multiple times, respectively. In general, identifying as a sexual minority and having children at home were associated with higher odds of experiencing IPV. Age, economic situation, cohabitation status, and a country’s GDP per capita were associated with recent IPV or a worsening of IPV compared to before the COVID-19 restrictions, although results varied depending on the types of violence. Further work is needed to strengthen IPV support for several groups, especially in emergency situations or future pandemics.