Pandemic restrictions limit women’s ability to cope with abusive partners: study

The COVID-19 pandemic has substantially affected how women experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) coped with their abusive situation, according to a new study led by health sciences professor Tara Mantler and Kim Jackson, professor in the Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing. Published in the Global Social Welfare, the study shares insights on the impact of pandemic-related lockdowns and restrictions on women experiencing IPV. While strict public health measures, including physical distancing and stay-at-home orders, helped mitigate the harm of the pandemic, they unintentionally exacerbated the risks for women who experience IPV by limiting their access to services and severely impacting their usual coping strategies. IPV may include physical, sexual or emotional abuse along with intimidation, threats, isolation and manipulation. "Stay-at-home orders kept women in the presence of their abusers, which in turn restricted their privacy and enabled surveillance, isolating them from social supports and services," explained Mantler. "Stress from unemployment, financial anxieties and increases in alcohol use, all known risk factors for IPV, also became more prevalent during these orders." For women experiencing IPV, accessing a supportive social network during lockdown became more difficult, as support services were shuttered or only offered virtually. Venues to meet with social networks were likewise closed or inaccessible.