Professionals' views on working in the field of domestic violence and abuse during the first wave of COVID-19: a qualitative study in the Netherlands.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown evoked great worries among professionals in the field of domestic violence and abuse (DVA) as they expected a rise of the phenomenon. While many countries reported increased DVA, the Netherlands did not. To understand this discrepancy and the overall impact of the lockdown on DVA support services, we interviewed DVA professionals about their experiences with DVA during the rise of COVID-19, the impact of the lockdown on clients and working conditions, and views on eHealth and online tools.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted among 16 DVA professionals with various specializations. This data was analyzed using open thematic coding and content analysis.

Results

Most professionals did not see an increase in DVA

SUBMITTER: van Gelder NE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8241882 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature