Impacts of COVID-19 Related Changes in Income on Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence at Home
Abstract
Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has increased in Canada due to COVID-19 and associated public health measures. Economic status may be responsible, but this must be validated during COVID-19.
Methods: An online survey was administered to 23 Canadian women to measure their income pre and during COVID-19 and their experiences of IPV in the past 12 months. Factorial ANOVAs and MANOVAs were used to explore the relationship between income and IPV.
Results: Of women responding to both timepoints, 56.5% (n=13) indicated an increase in IPV. Analyses did not suggest that income was significantly related to IPV, apart from the effect of CERB (governmental economic stimulus) when interacting with income change on IPV pre-COVID-19 (p=.03412).
Conclusion: Economic status is insufficient in explaining IPV, but CERB combined with income change provides evidence of the relationship between IPV and economic status. Additional research is required to identify risk and protective factors for IPV in this context.