The experiences of post-separation survivors of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a qualitative study in the United Kingdom

Ruchi Desai; Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay; Shazia Zafar; Caroline Bradbury-Jones

doi:10.1177/10778012221142914

The experiences of post-separation survivors of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a qualitative study in the United Kingdom

Ruchi Desai, Siddhartha Bandyopadhyay, Shazia Zafar, Caroline Bradbury-Jones^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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Abstract

Post-separation for domestic violence (DV) survivors is known to be a period of heightened risk of domestic homicide. Evidence points to increased rates of DV during the Covid-19 pandemic, with specific challenges in help-seeking from DV services, yet studies that capture this qualitatively are still emerging. This UK study investigated the experiences of 21 separated DV survivors (all women) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inductive, thematic analysis highlighted participants’ psychological distress, isolation, fear of Covid-19 transmission and detachment from support networks. The findings reflect the interconnected nature of adversities experienced by DV survivors and the exacerbation of these due to the insidious, multifaceted and synergistic impacts of DV and the pandemic.

Original language	English
Number of pages	20
Journal	Violence against Women
Early online date	6 Dec 2022
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/10778012221142914
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 6 Dec 2022

Keywords

covid-19 pandemic
domestic violence
post-separation
survivors
qualitative study

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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Cite this

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abstract = "Post-separation for domestic violence (DV) survivors is known to be a period of heightened risk of domestic homicide. Evidence points to increased rates of DV during the Covid-19 pandemic, with specific challenges in help-seeking from DV services, yet studies that capture this qualitatively are still emerging. This UK study investigated the experiences of 21 separated DV survivors (all women) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inductive, thematic analysis highlighted participants{\textquoteright} psychological distress, isolation, fear of Covid-19 transmission and detachment from support networks. The findings reflect the interconnected nature of adversities experienced by DV survivors and the exacerbation of these due to the insidious, multifaceted and synergistic impacts of DV and the pandemic. ",

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AB - Post-separation for domestic violence (DV) survivors is known to be a period of heightened risk of domestic homicide. Evidence points to increased rates of DV during the Covid-19 pandemic, with specific challenges in help-seeking from DV services, yet studies that capture this qualitatively are still emerging. This UK study investigated the experiences of 21 separated DV survivors (all women) during the Covid-19 pandemic. Inductive, thematic analysis highlighted participants’ psychological distress, isolation, fear of Covid-19 transmission and detachment from support networks. The findings reflect the interconnected nature of adversities experienced by DV survivors and the exacerbation of these due to the insidious, multifaceted and synergistic impacts of DV and the pandemic.

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The experiences of post-separation survivors of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic: findings from a qualitative study in the United Kingdom

Abstract

Keywords

UN SDGs

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