How the COVID-19 pandemic worsened intimate partner Violence: Findings from a South Africa high-risk community study

Researchers have been extensively studying the detrimental effects wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic on many aspects of human life. However, there is little empirical research from the Global South on COVID-19 and its impact on intimate partner violence (IPV). This study sought to explore whether the pandemic-induced effects, such as financial stress, physical health issues, and psychological distress, also increased IPV victimization. A structured survey was administered to 665 residents who self-identified as having experienced increased risks of human trafficking in low-income communities in Cape Town, South Africa, during January – October 2021, at the height of COVID-19. IPV measures were applied to those (N=418) who reported having had an intimate partner in the past 12 months. Most respondents were born in South Africa. Half of them reported having experienced IPV in the past year. The ordinal regression full model showed that housing insecurity (AOR=1.67; CI, 1.03–2.70) and mental health concerns (AOR=1.57; CI, 1.13–2.19) were significant predictors of IPV ( p < .05), controlling for other sociodemographic measures. Race (Black, AOR=0.20; CI, 0.09–0.43), gender (female, AOR=1.80; CI, 1.17–2.76), and arranged marriage (AOR=1.97; CI, 1.17–3.32) were also significantly associated with IPV victimization. Housing insecurity and mental health were the most important COVID-induced stressors in elevating IPV victimization during the pandemic. Furthermore, other structural factors, such as race, gender, and arranged marriage, were also strong predictors of IPV victimization in an already vulnerable South African urban community. • There has been little empirical research from the Global South on COVID-19 induced stressors and their impact on intimate partner violence (IPV). • This study examined whether the pandemic-induced effects, such as financial stress, physical health issues, and psychological distress, also increased IPV victimization. • This study utilized a structured survey was administered to community residents who self-identified as having experienced increased risks of human trafficking in low-income areas in Cape Town, South Africa, during January – October 2021, at the height of COVID-19. • About half of 418 respondents who reported having had an intimate partner in the past 12 months, experienced IPV during this period. • The ordinal regression full model showed that housing insecurity (AOR=1.67; CI, 1.03–2.70) and mental health concerns (AOR=1.57; CI, 1.13–2.19) were significant predictors of IPV ( p < .05), controlling for other sociodemographic measures. • Among sociodemographic control, race (Black, AOR=0.20; CI, 0.09–0.43), gender (female, AOR=1.80; CI, 1.17–2.76), and arranged marriage (AOR=1.97; CI, 1.17–3.32) were also significantly associated with IPV victimization. • This study called on the larger society and the South African government to mitigate the impact of external disastrous events and concomitant financial and psychological hardships, resulting in increased IPV victimization.