Household crowding and income loss increases intimate partner violence during the pandemic among isolating families with young children in the United States

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic presents significant risk for family violence. Risk for intimate partner violence (IPV) may be especially pronounced among families with young children that are isolating in crowded households and experiencing severe income loss. Because child exposure to IPV is increasingly recognized as a form and risk factor for child maltreatment, understanding factors contributing to IPV among families with young children can inform prevention and intervention efforts regarding family and child well-being during and after the pandemic. The present study examines the hypothesis that IPV during the pandemic would be more likely among families with a history of IPV that are isolating in crowded households and/or experiencing severe income loss resulting from the pandemic. Parents (n = 363) of 4- to 10-year-olds living in the United States completed an online survey with demographic, pandemic experiences, and IPV questionnaires. Family history of IPV was strongly associated with recurring IPV during the pandemic (Cramer’s V = .55). Induction rates of IPV during the pandemic were low; four families experienced IPV for the first time during the pandemic. Household isolation (r = .12), household crowding (r = .13), and severity of income loss (r = .25) were significantly and positively associated with IPV during the pandemic. Income loss was positively associated with IPV during the pandemic at low and average levels of household crowding. At high levels of household crowding, families were at high risk for IPV during the pandemic regardless of the severity of income loss. Our findings indicate that isolating families with young children are at-risk for recurring IPV during the pandemic, especially if they are also experiencing household crowding and/or severe income loss.