{"id":163510,"date":"2020-04-07T16:57:20","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T20:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/?p=163510"},"modified":"2020-09-17T10:19:21","modified_gmt":"2020-09-17T14:19:21","slug":"what-happens-to-people-inside-their-homes","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/sph\/news\/articles\/2020\/what-happens-to-people-inside-their-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018What Happens to People inside Their Homes?\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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April 7, 2020<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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\"WomanBefore the new coronavirus emerged, Emily Rothman<\/a>, professor of community health sciences at the School of Public Health and a leading researcher of intimate partner violence, was preparing a state-of-the-art survey on cyberstalking and online dating violence, funded by the US Office of Violence Against Women<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But after the COVID-19 pandemic struck the United States and began keeping much of the country at home\u2014potentially trapping people with their abusers\u2014Rothman and her co-primary investigator on the project, Elizabeth Mumford of NORC at the University of Chicago<\/a>, realized they needed to make an adjustment. \u201cWe said, \u2018If we\u2019re doing a nationally-representative survey, we should add a few questions about COVID-19 and peoples\u2019 domestic<\/em> violence experiences, both victimization and perpetration,\u2019\u201d Rothman recalls.<\/p>\n

The survey, expanded with 10 new questions about experiences specific to the COVID-19 period, will go out in June.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it takes 18 months to develop a vaccine that works well, this is a situation that we\u2019re living with for the next unknown period,\u201d Rothman says.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving this information about what happens to people inside their homes in terms of partner violence\u2014and partner violence help-seeking\u2014could also be really valuable for planning and policies in the future, should we ever go through another emergency situation that requires stay-at-home policies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rothman discussed adjusting her research for a pandemic, how COVID-19 could be affecting domestic violence, and what policies could be making it worse.<\/p>\n

Is COVID-19 increasing domestic violence in the United States?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A report from the UN<\/a> says that domestic violence is worse globally because of this. Nationally, I have been talking to my colleagues, researchers and practitioners, and I\u2019ve heard a mix.<\/p>\n

In some places, there is already evidence of domestic violence related to both the shelter-in-place restrictions and to fears of shared illness and unavailable health care. In other places, reports\u2014meaning calls to law enforcement or hotlines and shelters\u2014are going down, which is hard to interpret. Does that mean that there\u2019s less of a problem, or does it mean that in some places people just don\u2019t want to go into shelter, and can\u2019t escape their abuser even enough to call a hotline? It\u2019s hard to interpret those data, but, anecdotally, the sense is that there is real potential for it to be a lot worse right now.<\/p>\n

How would this pandemic worsen domestic violence?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Number one, the super simple reason is what we call \u2018time to exposure,\u2019 which means that if you are spending more hours in the day with a potentially aggressive person, the odds of an aggressive incident go up, simply because you\u2019re spending more time together.<\/p>\n

A second reason is that we know that unemployment and financial strain are related to aggression in intimate partner violence-aggressive people, so as there are economic stressors from COVID, that can make intimate partner violence worse.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also true that mental health and substance use are both related to intimate partner violence, and if those factors are getting worse, then that could increase intimate partner violence.<\/p>\n

And, in general, as people are experiencing more stress and experiencing more conflict at home, there\u2019s more of a chance that a conflict can become aggressive or lethal.<\/p>\n

What about the original focus of your survey? How might COVID-19 affect online abuse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In terms of cyberstalking and online aggressive behavior, what we call \u2018technology-facilitated abuse,\u2019 if people are home and spending more time on the internet, they may be experiencing more instances of harassment, stalking, or aggression from a partner who is either home with them or outside of their house.<\/p>\n

What policies could help\u2014or potentially make the risks worse?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In some states, gun shops have been designated as essential businesses that do not need to close.<\/p>\n

We know that the availability of firearms makes intimate partner violence more severe and makes fatal intimate partner violence all the more likely<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So, having these policies that have not put guns out of reach while people are being asked or required to stay at home with potentially abusive partners\u2014that causes a whole lot of concern.<\/p>\n

How are domestic violence shelters handling COVID-19?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Domestic violence shelters across the nation are handling COVID-19 differently based on where they are and what the local conditions and resources are. I know of one shelter in New England that is not taking in new residents right now because of COVID. Other shelters have other policies, including trying to send symptomatic people to motels or hotels where they are more isolated.<\/p>\n

But there isn\u2019t one consistent guideline or rule across the nation. To some extent, there may be some confusion on the part of the domestic violence shelters about whether it is OK for them to ask people seeking shelter questions about fever and cough, because the federal government has a standing rule that domestic violence shelters cannot discriminate based on medical conditions, which fits with the Americans with Disabilities Act\u2014and in normal times makes sense.<\/p>\n

But domestic violence shelters could be and perhaps should be asking prospective clients about fever, cough, and other symptoms in order to figure out how to house people safely, and I do wonder if some shelters are looking for guidance on how to do that.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been talking with colleagues and physicians who work with homeless populations to see if there are lessons learned there that we can carry over.<\/p>\n

Do you have any other thoughts about the COVID-19 pandemic as a violence researcher?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the first week or two of this all happening, I personally as a public health researcher felt pointless and useless. I thought, \u2018I can\u2019t do anything useful, because it\u2019s all about infectious disease epidemiology. Who wants to talk about pornography<\/a> right now?\u2019<\/p>\n

It took a couple of weeks for me to realize that there are roles for all of us who work in public health and care about public health, and we need to remember what our roles are. My role is about people\u2019s safety at home or online.<\/p>\n

That is also important, even if it\u2019s not about the direct threat of being infected with the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

\u2014Michelle Samuels<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

If you are experiencing domestic violence, seeking resources or information, questioning unhealthy aspects of your relationship, or concerned about a friend or loved one, the <\/em>National Domestic Violence Hotline<\/em><\/a> has guidance for survivors during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a>, and advocates available 24\/7 at 1-800-799-7233<\/strong> and through <\/em>live chat<\/em><\/a> for private, confidential support.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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