March 11, 2021

The Endemic Amid the Pandemic: Seeking Help for Violence Against Women in the Initial Phases of COVID-19

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Mental Health and Personal Impact

Keywords (Tags): mental health personal impact

• Various government interventions intended to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 were associated with a decrease in help-seeking for sexual assault but did not affect help-seeking for domestic violence. Declaration of emergency, school closures, and stay-at-home-orders (SAHOs) were each associated with a reduction in 911 calls for assault and rape, amounting to a nearly a 50% reduction in 911 calls. Although school closures were associated with a reduction to calls to the domestic violence hotline, SAHOs were associated with an increase in calls to the domestic violence hotline resulting in an overall rate of help-seeking for domestic violence that was roughly unchanged.

Sorenson et al. (Mar 10, 2021). The Endemic Amid the Pandemic: Seeking Help for Violence Against Women in the Initial Phases of COVID-19. Journal of Interpersonal Violence. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260521997946