As a team of domestic violence defense attorneys in Los Angeles we do our best to defend cases and also continuously research trends ranging from crime statistics in various regions to studies published by researchers/universities so we can understand what’s happening in the world and why.
Looking at domestic violence in particular, now that COVID-19 is hopefully coming to an end, there’s more data available around what took place during the peak of the pandemic, especially how it impacted families. And a recent study by the University of California, Davis highlights exactly that.
The paper that was published, titled “COVID-19, Intimate Partner Violence and Communication Ecologies,” states this key point: “The pandemic, like other kinds of disasters, exacerbates the social and livelihood stresses and circumstances that we know lead to intimate partner violence.” When you take a step back and think about the circumstances and what we all had to go through it makes sense.
Clare Cannon, assistant professor of social and environmental justice in the Department of Human Ecology at UC Davis, and the lead author of the study, added: “Increased social isolation during COVID-19 has created an environment where victims and aggressors, or potential aggressors in a relationship, cannot easily separate themselves from each other. The extra stress also can cause mental health issues, increasing individuals’ perceived stress and reactions to stress through violence and other means.”
On the other hand, as defense attorneys that work hard to solve domestic abuse/violence issues so families can ideally remain intact and grow together, we’ve also recognized a spike in domestic violences cases throughout Los Angeles County and Southern California as a whole.
Let’s hope the worst is behind us and the world continues to become more normal again in the future.
