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Affiliation
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Department of Surgery, Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, Kendall Regional Medical Center, Miami, FL, USA. Electronic address: Adel.Elkbuli@hcahealthcare.com. |
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Abstract
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While many states in the US implement stay-at-home orders differently, in most cases in- dividuals are expected to stay indoors except for essential activities (e.g., obtaining food, medication, medical treatment) or for work in es- sential businesses (e.g., health care, essential infrastructure operations).
Although these measures can be effective to control the spread of disease, they have a profound impact on society leading to social, finan- cial and psychological repercussions. Isolation may expose or worsen vulnerabilities due to a lack of established social support systems. The temporary shutdown of non-essential businesses has led to unem- ployed and economic strain [4]. Quarantine conditions are associated with alcohol abuse, depression, and post-traumatic stress symptoms [5]. Stay-at-home orders may cause a catastrophic milieu for individuals whose lives are plagued by domestic violence (DV).
DV usually occurs in a domestic space when one individual holds power over another. DV is a broad term and typically includes intimate partner violence (IPV) (e.g., usually occurs between current or former intimate partners and includes stalking, psychological, sexual and phys- ical violence) elder abuse (e.g., involves negligent or intentional acts which cause harm) and child abuse (e.g., includes neglect, physical harm, sexual violence, and emotional harm) [6]. However, for the pur- pose of report we will primarily refer to DV as it pertains to IPV. Forms of DV such as IPV are unfortunately quite common. According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men report experiencing some form of IPV each year [7].
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic trends regarding DV are al- ready starting to emerge on a global scale. Reports from local police near the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in China's Hubei province, indicate that DV tripled during February 2020 compared to February 2019 [8]. Also, according to the United Nations entity UN Women, DV reports in France have increased 30% since they initiated a March 17 lockdown. DV calls in Argentina have increased 25% since their March 20 lockdown [9]. The organization also reports a 30% increase in helpline calls in Cyprus and 33% increase in Singapore [9]. However, in the US, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on DV is just beginning to be realized via anecdotal reports since there is limited data available to assess how DV has changed following implementation of stay-at- home orders ...
Language: en |