Domestic Violence in the Time of COVID-19 How the Delivery and Access of Mental Health Care Services Were Impacted and How They Adapted

Abstract

By Abby Lendon, Psychology

Advisor: Bonnie Fisher

Presentation ID: 36

Abstract: The COVID-19 lockdown presented millions of Americans with challenges to their financial, social, mental, and physical well-being and safety. For many, the lockdown led to an increase in mental and physical violence in the home. As domestic violence (DV) and intimate partner violence (IPV) increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for mental health resources also increased. This project is a systematic review of the existing studies on the impact of COVID-19 on mental health services for DV/IPV victims in the United States and how those services adapted to the challenges they faced. Article collection was done in a two-stage process. Peer-reviewed articles published between 2020 and 2022 were accessed via Google Scholar and PubMed in January and February 2022 using the following keywords: domestic violence, intimate partner violence, therapy, mental health services, service delivery, COVID-19, pandemic, hotlines, and mental health treatment. A total of 23 articles were selected from the search results based on keywords and reviews of the abstracts. Seven supplemental articles were hand-selected from reference lists. Further content analysis of findings will be conducted to identify 1) themes of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health services, and 2) themes for therapeutic approaches used to treat DV/IPV victims.