The long shadow pandemic: Examining the intersection between long-COVID and intimate partner violence
Project team: Kate Fitz-Gibbon, Naomi Pfitzner, Jasmine McGowan, Benjamin Scott
Project partner: Safe+Equal
About the project
Despite well-established evidence of the increased risk of intimate partner violence during the first two years of the pandemic, to date there has been no research globally that examines how victim-survivors’ experiences of long COVID will uniquely impact their safety and support needs. This project will address this critical gap in current knowledge.
This project aims to generate new evidence on the intersection between long COVID and intimate partner violence. The project is framed by four key research questions:
- For victim-survivors of intimate partner violence diagnosed with long COVID, was the violence experienced prior to the COVID diagnosis and ongoing? Or did their partner’s violence occur for the first time or change in nature following the COVID-19 diagnosis?
- Do individuals living with long COVID experience different risks, patterns of abuse and/or new forms of intimate partner violence?
- What are the impacts of living with long COVID on the help-seeking experiences of victim-survivors of intimate partner violence? Including how does living with long COVID impact on victim-survivors’ access to, and engagement with, support services?
- How can policy and practice best adapt to meet the safety and recovery needs of individuals living with long COVID who are experiencing intimate partner violence?
This project will utilise a two-staged research design to provide the first Australian study of the intersection between long COVID and intimate partner violence, including new knowledge of risks, nature of violence, help-seeking behaviours, service and support needs. A multi-methods approach combining a national survey and in-depth interviews will be utilised.
About the National Survey
Australians who have experienced intimate partner violence and have been diagnosed with long-COVID aged 18 years and over are invited to participate anonymously in an online survey.
The survey will ask you:
- A series of short demographic questions about you,
- A series of multiple choice and open text questions about your experience of long covid and how it has impacted your sense of safety and wellbeing within your intimate partner relationship, and
- A series of multiple choice and open text questions about your family violence service and support needs.
You will be able to skip any questions that you do not wish to answer throughout the survey.
At the end of the survey you will be invited to nominate to participate in an in-depth interview with a member of the research team if you would like. The interview provides an opportunity for you to provide more detailed insights into your experiences of long COVID and intimate partner violence, as well as your service and support needs. Interviews will be conducted via zoom or telephone, and are entirely voluntary.
Click here to participate in the survey
What is Long COVID?
Defined by the World Health Organisation (2022) as the continuation, or development of new symptoms three months after the initial COVID infection, global studies estimate that between 10-20% of people infected with COVID go on to develop long COVID symptoms. In Australia, a review conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found middle aged adult women were at higher risk of experiencing severe COVID-19, as well as individuals with comorbidities. Like the initial infection, symptoms of long COVID include respiratory issues, cognitive dysfunction, and fatigue – all of which can impact a person’s everyday functioning.
Funding: This project has been funded by Monash University Faculty of Arts under the Health and Medical Research Accelerator Fund.
Related Outputs
Best Practice Guidelines: Supporting the Wellbeing of Family Violence Workers During Times of Emergency and Crisis
These best practice guidelines draw on findings from a study of practitioners responding to women and men experiencing and using family violence during the 2020 COVID-19 restrictions in Victoria (Australia).
When home becomes the workplace: family violence, practitioner wellbeing and remote service delivery during COVID-19 restrictions
This report presents findings of a statewide study into the wellbeing impacts of working during the COVID-19 restrictions on Victoria’s specialist family violence and men’s services sector. It draws on the insights from 113 survey respondents and 28 focus group Victorian practitioners responding to family violence during July-August 2020.
Responding to the 'Shadow Pandemic' Victoria
This report presents the findings from a survey of 166 Victorian practitioners. The survey sought to capture the voices and experiences of practitioners responding to women experiencing violence during the COVID-19 shutdown in Victoria, Australia.
Responding to the 'Shadow Pandemic' Queensland
This report presents the findings from two surveys conducted by the Queensland Domestic Violence Services Network in April and May 2020. The surveys sought to capture the professional views and experiences of practitioners responding to women experiencing violence during the period of COVID-19 restrictions in Queensland
