Abstract
We examined the longitudinal course of, and pre‐ and during‐pandemic risk factors for, self‐injury and domestic physical violence perpetration in young adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Data came from a Swiss longitudinal study (N = 786, age ˜22 in 2020), with one prepandemic (2018) and four during‐pandemic assessments (2020). The prevalence of self‐injury did not change between April (during the first Swiss national lockdown) and September 2020 (postlockdown). Domestic violence perpetration increased temporarily in males. Prepandemic self‐injury was a major risk factor for during‐pandemic self‐injury. Specific living arrangements, pandemic‐related stressor accumulation, and a lack of adaptive coping strategies were associated with during‐pandemic self‐injury and domestic violence. Stressor accumulation had indirect effects on self‐injury and domestic violence through negative emotions.
Highlights
The transitions of adolescence and young adulthood are characterized by major changes (Arnett, 2000), including the developmental tasks of engaging in intimate relationships, gaining independence from the parental home, and laying the groundwork for educational andThe authors declare no conflict of interests
In a second set of models, we examined risk factors for self-injury and domestic violence occurring across the 2020 study period
According to the multilevel models, the risk of self-injury did not change during different phases of the pandemic; the risk of domestic violence perpetration was marginally higher in late May compared to late April
Summary
The authors declare no conflict of interests. The Zurich Project on Social Development from Childhood to Adulthood is a long-term study set up by ME and DR.
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