Domestic violence against women has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic: A perspective paper about the need for change to current and future practice

The COVID-19 outbreak led to widespread disruption and stress to people's lives. Concern about the escalation of domestic violence (DV) rates and related mental health issues soon emerged following the implementation of strategies aimed at curbing the spread of the virus. This perspective paper presents an overview of the issues, argues for greater recognition of the link between DV against women and serious emotional distress, and the need for greater awareness and knowledge about DV among mental health professionals. While we acknowledge that men also experience DV, their rates are much lower than for women and in this paper our focus is on women.

COVID-19 and family violence: Is this a perfect storm?

Disasters including public health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic are known to increase instances of family violence against women, children, and other diverse populations. This paper discusses and provides evidence of disaster-related vulnerability of and violence towards specific groups of people. We argue that the COVID-19 pandemic presents the 'perfect storm' for family violence, where a set of rare circumstances combine, resulting in a significant aggravation of the resulting event. Given the mental health implications of family violence, mental health professionals need to be aware of this issue during the pandemic and ready to assist with the development of strategies to overcome the situation where possible. To provide protection and prevent violence, there is a need to include at-risk groups in disaster response and community planning. Such a plan could involve gender and disaster working groups at the local community, state, and national levels.

Women's health-related vulnerabilities in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh: a mixed-methods study protocol

INTRODUCTION

Global climate change has produced growing natural disasters across the world especially in Global South. Different countries experience varied vulnerabilities depending on their geographical location, economic status and ability of management. In a highly disaster susceptible developing country like Bangladesh, many individuals experience a greater rate of natural disasters with devastating health effects. Compare with men, women have a higher incidence of mortality and health effects following natural disasters. The study aims to explore women's experience of physical and psychological health vulnerabilities with primary causes in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This is an exploratory mixed-method study comprising survey and in-depth interviews with equal priority to identify physical and psychological health vulnerabilities of women living in natural disaster-affected areas of Bangladesh. Quantitative data will be collected using self-administered sociodemographic and perceived severity instrument, 12-item Short-Form, Impact of Event Scale-Revised and Brief Coping Scale, while specific open-ended guidelines will be used for the qualitative part. The instruments will be translated into Bangla following the Brislin (1970) model of translation. The survey will be administered in paper copies, with at least 384 respondents, whereas 30 participants will be in-depth interviewed using an audio recorder. Survey data will be analysed using SPSS V.25 following descriptive and inferential statistics as required. The recorded open-ended responses will be transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Finally, both data sets will be integrated and synthesised according to the sequential mixed-method approach.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

The study has been reviewed and approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of the University of New England. The results will be actively disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, conference presentations, social media, the internet and various community engagement activities.

Women's health-related vulnerabilities in natural disasters: a systematic review protocol

INTRODUCTION

There is a paucity of evidence identifying both the physical and psychological health risks and underlying causes of women's health-related vulnerabilities related to natural disasters. Therefore, this systematic review will be conducted to determine the impact of natural disasters on women's health from a global perspective.

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

Five electronic databases of health research, including ProQuest, ProQuest Health and Medicine, PubMed, PsycINFO and CINAHL, will be searched to retrieve relevant literature where Medical Subject Headings terms and keywords will be used depending on the search method of each database. Google Scholar will also be searched for preliminary information on the topic and to check for further evidence that may have been missed. Inclusion and exclusion criteria will be developed and refined by the research team. We will restrict our search for empirical full-text articles published in the English language peer-reviewed journals between July 2008 and June 2018 to ensure contemporary evidence is retrieved. Two authors will participate in each step in the process, including title, abstract and full-text screening against inclusion criteria, data extraction and quality appraisal. The quality of selected studies will be assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool. Data synthesis will follow a sequential explanatory approach. Finally, the quantitative and qualitative findings will be merged under themes and described using a narrative approach.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Formal ethical approval is not required as primary data will not be collected. The results will be published in an international peer-reviewed journal and presented at national and international conferences.

PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER

CRD42019123809.