Characteristics of Intimate Partner Violence and Survivor's Needs During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights From Subreddits Related to Intimate Partner Violence

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Sangmi Kim, Emory University; Elise Warren, Deloitte Georgia; Tasfia Jahangir, Emory University; Mohammed Al-Garadi, Vanderbilt University; Yuting Guo, Emory University; Yuan-Chi Yang, Emory University; Sahiti Lakamana, Emory University; Abeed Sarker, Emory University
• Language: English
• Date: 2023-04-27
• Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © The Author(s) 2023
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/08862605231168816
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 17-18
• Start Page: 9693
• End Page: 9716
• Grant/Funding Information: The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This publication is supported by the Injury Prevention Research Center at Emory (IPRCE) and the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K01NR019651.
• Keywords: Psychology; HEALTH; SOCIAL MEDIA; Family Studies; domestic violence; Social Sciences; Criminology & Penology; Psychology, Applied; anything related to domestic violence; disclosure of domestic violence; assessment
• Research Categories: Health Sciences, Nursing

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Collecting actionable IPV-related data from conventional sources (e.g., medical records) was challenging during the pandemic, generating a need to obtain relevant data from non-conventional sources, such as social media. Social media, like Reddit, is a preferred medium of communication for IPV survivors to share their experiences and seek support with protected anonymity. Nevertheless, the scope of available IPV-related data on social media is rarely documented. Thus, we examined the availability of IPV-related information on Reddit and the characteristics of the reported IPV during the pandemic. Using natural language processing, we collected publicly available Reddit data from four IPV-related subreddits between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. Of 4,000 collected posts, we randomly sampled 300 posts for analysis. Three individuals on the research team independently coded the data and resolved the coding discrepancies through discussions. We adopted quantitative content analysis and calculated the frequency of the identified codes. 36% of the posts (n = 108) constituted self-reported IPV by survivors, of which 40% regarded current/ongoing IPV, and 14% contained help-seeking messages. A majority of the survivors’ posts reflected psychological aggression, followed by physical violence. Notably, 61.4% of the psychological aggression involved expressive aggression, followed by gaslighting (54.3%) and coercive control (44.3%). Survivors’ top three needs during the pandemic were hearing similar experiences, legal advice, and validating their feelings/reactions/thoughts/actions. Albeit limited, data from bystanders (survivors’ friends, family, or neighbors) were also available. Rich data reflecting IPV survivors’ lived experiences were available on Reddit. Such information will be useful for IPV surveillance, prevention, and intervention.