Intimate Partner Violence at a Level-1 Trauma Center During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Interrupted Time Series Analysis

• Authors: Randi Smith, Emory University; Afua Nyame-Mireku, Emory University; Amy Zeidan, Emory University; Azade Tabaie, Emory University; Courtney Meyer, Emory University; Vignesh Muralidharan, Emory University; Rishikesan Kamaleswaran, Emory University; Keneeshia Williams, Emory University; April Grant, Emory University; Jonathan Nguyen, Emory University; Stuart Hurst, Emory University; Dustin Hanos, Emory University; Elizabeth Benjamin, Emory University; Richard Sola, Emory University; Richard S Jr, Morehouse School of Medicine; Dabney Evans, Emory University
• Journal Title: AMERICAN SURGEON
• Volume: Volume 88, Number 7
• Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC | 2022-04-14, Pages 1551-1553
• Type of Work: Article | Final Publisher PDF
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00031348221083939
• Subjects: Health Sciences, Public Health
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Surgery; covid; intimate partner violence; violence

Abstract

Risks of intimate partner violence (IPV) escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic given mitigation measures, socioeconomic hardships, and isolation concerns. The objective of this study was to explore the impact of COVID-19 on the incidence of IPV. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis for IPV incidence at a single level 1 trauma center located in the United States. IPV cases were identified by triangulation of institutional data sources. There were 4,624 traumatic injuries of which 292 (6.3%) were due to IPV. IPV-related injury admissions increased 17% in the weeks following the COVID lockdown (RR = 1.17; 95% CI: 1.16, 1.19). Over a quarter of victims (27.4%) were male. Compared to before COVID, victims of IPV during the pandemic were younger (p =.04); no difference in mechanism or severity of injury was found. Our results suggest an ongoing need for universal IPV screening during health emergencies to avoid missed opportunities for IPV detection and referral to support services.