Violence against women in the Covid-19 pandemic: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To identify the prevalence and factors associated with violence against women during the Covid-19 pandemic in the world. Method: The survey was carried out in October 2021, in the Embase, Scopus and Web of Science databases, published in 2020 and 2021, only in the English language. Empirical studies were included, with a female population, during the Covid-19 period and articles that included men or children in their sample were excluded. To evaluate the quality of the studies, the MMAT instrument was used and the final result was organized and summarized using tables. Results: Thirty-five articles were selected, predominantly quantitative, on-line studies investigating intimate partner violence. The prevalence was significant, with an increase and worsening of violence and the main associated factors were economic stress, the pandemic and gender relations. Discussion: The publication bias was studies published only in English and the results involve the bias of primary studies regarding underreporting and non-generalization of the samples. It is possible to conclude that the pandemic and measures to contain Covid-19 increased the vulnerability of women cohabiting in a violent environment.

Keywords:
Violence against Women; Intimate Partner Violence; Covid-19; Pandemic; Vulnerability