Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Intimate Partner Violence Prevalence Amongst Pregnant Women in Northern Ireland

Abstract Purpose Pregnancy has been posited as a period of unique vulnerability for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) victimisation. This brief report examined the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on IPV victimisation during pregnancy by measuring post implementation changes in rates, with comparisons to the same period in non-lockdown years. Methods Secondary data analysis of the Northern Ireland Maternity System (NIMATS) database containing pregnancy presentations to maternity services in Northern Ireland between January 2018 to June 2020 ( n = 134,499 records) was conducted. Monthly rates of self-reported historical and current IPV disclosures were calculated, and rates of current IPV disclosures were compared across January to June for the years 2018–2020. Results Historical IPV rates decreased by 5.19% (from 1.54 to 1.46 disclosures per 100 pregnancies) during April-May 2020, coinciding with the implementation of the first Nationwide UK lockdown. In contrast, current IPV rates increased by 8.47% (from 0.59 to 0.64 disclosures per 100 pregnancies) during this period, deviating from the decreasing trend observed in this same reference period in the two previous years. Conclusions Pregnant women and, by extension, neonates are an at-risk group for IPV victimisation during pandemics. Primary care-settings therefore assume a key role in screening for IPV among this population during pandemics, and mitigations for vulnerable groups such as these must be considered in future pandemic planning. The current report provides seasonally adjusted evidence regarding the impact of a lockdown period on IPV during pregnancy; however, further studies are needed to establish the robustness of this pattern.