Abstract
Purpose
Insecurities and social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 restrictions, may have elevated tensions at home, consequently increasing the risk of domestic violence. The present study aims to examine changes in the prevalence, nature, and type of reporter of domestic violence following the various restrictions implemented to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Netherlands.
Methods
All official domestic violence reports recorded by the 26 Dutch domestic violence agencies in 2019 and 2020 were collected and analyzed. Time-series forecasting analyses, using a SARIMAX model, were conducted to predict the trend of domestic violence reports during the first lockdown and to compare the predicted trend with the observed trend.
Results
The observed trend of the registered prevalence of domestic violence did not substantially differ from the predicted trend based on pre-pandemic data. Similarly, findings regarding the nature of domestic violence suggest no clear divergence of pre-pandemic trends during the lockdown period. Nonetheless, a shift was found from professional reporters (e.g., the police) to non-professional reporters (e.g., neighbors).
Conclusions
The prevalence of domestic violence reports in the Netherlands did not increase. However, the COVID-19 restrictions may have led citizens, especially neighbors, to detect domestic violence more often.
Insecurities and social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 restrictions, may have elevated tensions at home, consequently increasing the risk of domestic violence. The present study aims to examine changes in the prevalence, nature, and type of reporter of domestic violence following the various restrictions implemented to control the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Netherlands.
Methods
All official domestic violence reports recorded by the 26 Dutch domestic violence agencies in 2019 and 2020 were collected and analyzed. Time-series forecasting analyses, using a SARIMAX model, were conducted to predict the trend of domestic violence reports during the first lockdown and to compare the predicted trend with the observed trend.
Results
The observed trend of the registered prevalence of domestic violence did not substantially differ from the predicted trend based on pre-pandemic data. Similarly, findings regarding the nature of domestic violence suggest no clear divergence of pre-pandemic trends during the lockdown period. Nonetheless, a shift was found from professional reporters (e.g., the police) to non-professional reporters (e.g., neighbors).
Conclusions
The prevalence of domestic violence reports in the Netherlands did not increase. However, the COVID-19 restrictions may have led citizens, especially neighbors, to detect domestic violence more often.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1545-1561 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Family Violence |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| Early online date | 26 Nov 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Nov 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research was funded by a grant awarded in the COVID-19 funding round of The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and was registered under number 10430032010007.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, The Author(s).
Funding
This research was funded by a grant awarded in the COVID-19 funding round of The Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development (ZonMw) and was registered under number 10430032010007.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| ZonMw | 10430032010007 |
| ZonMw |
Keywords
- Child maltreatment
- COVID-19
- Domestic violence
- Elderly abuse
- Intimate partner violence
- Pandemic
- Reporters
- Violence against parents
