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Cited by 126Intimate Partner and Family ViolenceSexual Assault and Victimization StudiesCOVID-19 and healthcare impacts

COVID-19 pandemic and violence: rising risks and decreasing urgent care-seeking for sexual assault and domestic violence survivors

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Muldoon, Katherine A., Denize, Kathryn M., Talarico, Robert, Fell, Deshayne B., Sobiesiak, Agnes, Heimerl, Melissa, Sampsel, Kari·2021·BMC Medicine
DOI 10.1186/s12916-020-01897-zPMC PMC7861965
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Abstract

Background: There is little information on care-seeking patterns for sexual assault and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this study was to examine the changes in emergency department (ED) admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared. Methods: Observational ED admissions data from The Ottawa Hospital were analyzed from March 4 to May 5 (62 days) in 2020 (COVID-19 period) and compared to the same period in 2018 (pre-COVID-19). Total and mean weekly admissions were calculated for all-cause ED admissions and for sexual and domestic violence cases. A Poisson regression (without offset term) was used to calculate the weekly case count ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CI) between the two time periods. Case characteristics were compared using chi-square tests, and percent differences were calculated. Results: Compared to pre-COVID-19, total ED admissions dropped by 1111.22 cases per week (32.9% reduction), and the Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Program cases dropped 4.66 cases per week. The weekly case count ratio for sexual assault cases was 0.47 (95% CI 0.79–0.27), equivalent of 53.49% reduction in cases, and 0.52 (95% CI 0.93–0.29), equivalent to a 48.45% reduction in physical assault cases. The characteristics of presenting cases were similar by age (median 25 years), sex (88.57% female), assault type (57.14% sexual assault, 48.57% physical assault), and location (31.43% patient’s home, 40.00% assailant’s home). There was a significant increase in psychological abuse (11.69% vs 28.57%) and assaults occurring outdoors (5.19% vs 22.86%). Conclusion: This study found a decrease in ED admissions for sexual assault and domestic violence during COVID-19, despite societal conditions that elevate risk of violence. Trends in care-seeking and assault patterns will require ongoing monitoring to inform the provision of optimal support for individuals experiencing violence, particularly as countries begin to re-open or lock-down again.

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  • The characteristics of patients who presented to the ED for SA/IPV during the pandemic do not differ from those who presented prior to the pandemic.

    “However, the characteristics of patients who presented to the ED for SA/IPV during the pandemic do not differ from those who presented prior to the pandemic.”

    From Telemedicine and virtual healthcare for survivors of sexual assault and intimate partner violence: A qualitative study (2024) · cites this paper as [22]

    The Results report that presenting cases were similar in age, sex, assault type, and location in the 2020 and 2018 comparison. But they also report significant increases in psychological abuse and assaults occurring outdoors, so the unqualified claim that patient characteristics did not differ is too broad. (LLM, conf=0.90)

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Authors
Muldoon, K. A., Denize, K. M., Talarico, R., Fell, D. B., Sobiesiak, A., Heimerl, M., & Sampsel, K.
Affiliations
  • Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (CA)
  • University of Ottawa (CA)
Corresponding author
Muldoon, Katherine A.
ORCID
Venue
BMC Medicine
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-02-05
Volume
19
Issue
1
Pages
20-20
ISSN
1741-7015 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/s12916-020-01897-z
PMC
PMC7861965
OpenAlex
W3127440973
Cited by
126
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 26 · 2022: 43 · 2021: 19
FWCI
14.78
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • BMC Medicine (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • uO Research (University of Ottawa) (submittedVersion, public-domain)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization (TOH-20-005)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › COVID-19 and healthcare impacts
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic, sexual assault, domestic violence, care seeking, emergency department admission, violence against women, psychological violence, physical assault
MeSH terms
COVID-19, Adult, Communicable Disease Control, Emergency Service, Hospital, Female, Humans, Male, Ontario, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Sex Offenses, Domestic Violence, Young Adult, Pandemics

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