Correlates of experiencing psychological violence during the initial COVID-19 lockdown: a global analysis of 25 countries from the I-SHARE research consortium

Aim The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all aspects of life. While there are reports on the effect of the pandemic on violence, few studies have examined its effect on psychological violence, which often goes unnoticed in research and practice. This paper compares the prevalence of psychological violence 3 months prior to and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Correlates of psychological violence during the pandemic restrictions were also assessed. Subject and methods Data for this paper are from a cross-sectional online survey of 14,826 adults aged 18 and above from 25 of the 30 countries involved in the I-SHARE research consortium. A composite variable for psychological violence was derived from responses to questions that asked whether participants had experienced emotional abuse, financial abuse, or restricted contact with others prior to and during the pandemic, using validated survey instruments. Descriptive and multivariate analyses were conducted. Results Overall prevalence of psychological violence was higher before (23.2%) compared to during (18.6%) the COVID-19 restrictions. Living with a partner, age, gender, sexual orientation, income, stringency of lockdown, and perceived vulnerability were significant correlates of the experience of psychological violence during the COVID-19 restrictions. A considerable proportion of respondents experienced psychological violence during the restrictions, although the prevalence was lower compared to prior the restrictions. Conclusion Interventions for violence prevention during pandemics such as COVID-19 should specifically enquire about psychological violence so that it can be promptly addressed, especially as it can be a precursor to physical violence.