Association of the COVID-19 Pandemic With Unstable and/or Unsafe Living Situations and Intimate Partner Violence Among Pregnant Individuals.
JAMA Netw Open
; 6(2): e230172, 2023 02 01.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-2250570
ABSTRACT
Importance The social, behavioral, and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic may be associated with unstable and/or unsafe living situations and intimate partner violence (IPV) among pregnant individuals. Objective:
To investigate trends in unstable and/or unsafe living situations and IPV among pregnant individuals prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design, Setting, andParticipants:
A cross-sectional population-based interrupted time-series analysis was conducted among Kaiser Permanente Northern California members who were pregnant and screened for unstable and/or unsafe living situation and IPV as part of standard prenatal care between January 1, 2019, and December 31, 2020. Exposures COVID-19 pandemic (prepandemic period January 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020; during pandemic period April 1 to December 31, 2020). Main Outcomes andMeasures:
The 2 outcomes were unstable and/or unsafe living situations and IPV. Data were extracted from electronic health records. Interrupted time-series models were fit and adjusted for age and race and ethnicity.Results:
The study sample included 77â¯310 pregnancies (74â¯663 individuals); 27.4% of the individuals were Asian or Pacific Islander, 6.5% were Black, 29.0% were Hispanic, 32.3% were non-Hispanic White, and 4.8% were other/unknown/multiracial, with a mean (SD) age of 30.9 (5.3) years. Across the 24-month study period there was an increasing trend in the standardized rate of unsafe and/or unstable living situations (2.2%; rate ratio [RR], 1.022; 95% CI, 1.016-1.029 per month) and IPV (4.9%; RR, 1.049; 95% CI, 1.021-1.078 per month). The ITS model indicated a 38% increase (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.13-1.69) in the first month of the pandemic for unsafe and/or unstable living situation, with a return to the overall trend afterward for the study period. For IPV, the interrupted time-series model suggested an increase of 101% (RR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.20-3.37) in the first 2 months of the pandemic. Conclusions and Relevance This cross-sectional study noted an overall increase in unstable and/or unsafe living situations and IPV over the 24-month period, with a temporary increase associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. It may be useful for emergency response plans to include IPV safeguards for future pandemics. These findings suggest the need for prenatal screening for unsafe and/or unstable living situations and IPV coupled with referral to appropriate support services and preventive interventions.
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Intimate Partner Violence
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Experimental Studies
/
Observational study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Limits:
Adult
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Pregnancy
Language:
English
Journal:
JAMA Netw Open
Year:
2023
Document Type:
Article
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