Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Domestic Violence Against Women in Pre-Pandemic and Pandemic Periods

Domestic violence against women has legal, moral, and health consequences. It can endanger the well-being of women, families, and society. With the COVID-19 epidemic, more family members are staying at home, resulting in increased contact among them. This study aims to investigate domestic violence against women during and before the COVID-19 pandemic.

This study focused on married women aged thirteen years and above who were living in Iran during the COVID-19 outbreak. The sample size was nine hundred sixty-one. Data was collected online using Mohseni Tabrizi's Domestic Violence Questionnaire. We used SPSS22 and the Wilcoxon statistical test for data analysis.

According to the study, there is a significant and positive correlation between domestic violence against women and the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the dimensions of domestic violence against women and the COVID-19 pandemic also have a significant and positive correlation. On average, the score for domestic violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic was nineteen and two-tenths, while before the pandemic it was four and six-tenths.

One of the most devastating consequences of quarantine and mandatory family confinement is the increase in cases of domestic violence against women. This type of violence has long been a prevalent issue, and during epidemics, policymakers and social workers must prioritize efforts towards reducing domestic violence and implementing special interventions to protect victims.