When “Stay at Home” Can Be Dangerous: Data on Domestic Violence in Italy during COVID-19 Lockdown

Benedetta Barchielli, Michela Baldi, Elena Paoli, Paolo Roma, Stefano Ferracuti, Christian Napoli, Anna Maria Giannini and Giulia Lausi
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Benedetta Barchielli: Department of Dynamic, Clinical Psychology and Health, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Michela Baldi: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Elena Paoli: Department of Dynamic, Clinical Psychology and Health, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Paolo Roma: Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, 00185 Rome, Italy
Stefano Ferracuti: Department of Human Neuroscience, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell’Università 30, 00185 Rome, Italy
Christian Napoli: Department of Medical Surgical Science and Translational Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00189 Rome, Italy
Anna Maria Giannini: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy
Giulia Lausi: Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-11

Abstract: The global pandemic caused by a new strain of Coronavirus has brought the Italian government to adopt quarantine, isolation, and lockdown strategies as restrictive measures to reduce the virus spread. Being forced to stay at home could significantly increase the likelihood of episodes of home-based violence and could also be accompanied by a limited possibility of complaints or defense by the victim. The present study aimed to document, through the use of newspaper articles, the characteristics of domestic violence during the lockdown period related to COVID-19 in Italy (from 9 March 2020 up to 18 May 2020) and compare the results with the same period in 2019. The results showed an increase in domestic violence during the lockdown period compared to the same period the year before and highlighted the differences between the dynamics and violent behavior between the two periods examined. The results and limitations of this research are discussed with reference to the literature.

Keywords: quarantine; domestic abuse; coronavirus; gender-based violence; Italian context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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