Family Violence Against Children and Parents’ Social Support during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cohort Study

Abstract

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, several experts have raised concerns over an increased risk of family violence. The proximity between confined family members and social isolation fostered tensions, making families more vulnerable. The first objective of this study was to describe the evolution of family violence against children (psychological aggression and corporal punishment) and parents' social support during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second objective was to determine the contribution of parents’ social support to the evolution of family violence against children between two measurement times. Participants included parents living with at least one child between 0 and 17 years old (N = 514) from the broader longitudinal prospective cohort study, My Life and the Pandemic in Quebec (MAVIPAN) from Quebec, Canada. Family violence against children and social support were measured twice (2020 and 2021) with a web-based survey. Most parents reported no family violence against children. Psychological aggression significantly decreased between the two measurement times (p = .003). Corporal punishment and social support remained stable. Social support was a significant predictor of the evolution of psychological aggression. Participants reporting a lower level of perceived social support at baseline were more likely to report psychological aggression at both measurement times, compared to the reference group of parents reporting none (p = .002; OR = 0.914). Social support emerged as a protective factor when psychological aggression towards children is chronic in a family. This study contributes to the growing literature documenting the experience of parents during the COVID-19 pandemic.