New peer reviewed research published in the journal, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, & Policy.

The objective of this study was to understand experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) by survivors living through the COVID-19 pandemic in a rural area. Structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of IPV survivors, 93% of whom identified as women, living in a rural parish (county) in Louisiana (n = 41). Interviews included COVID-19-related stressors (e.g., rent stress due to the pandemic) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Primary Care PTSD Screen for DSM-5) and resilience (Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10) validated scales. Data were analyzed using independent t tests to determine differences across race with respect to PTSD and resilience and logistic regression to predict group membership in the probable PTSD group. Results indicate 72.5% and 56.2% of rural IPV survivors interviewed reported experiencing rent/mortgage stress and nutritional stress, respectively, due to the pandemic. No statistically significant differences by race for probable PTSD or resilience were found. Rent or mortgage stress due to COVID-19 was a significant predictor of probable PTSD in the regression model. Findings suggest the possibility that IPV concerns may exacerbate pandemic-related concerns, which in turn exacerbates health functioning. This research suggests policy changes to the Violence Against Women Act and the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act are needed to better support rural intimate partner violence survivors during disaster to aid in keeping survivors safe from abusers.

• Cannon, Clare E. B., Reggie Ferreira, Fred Buttell, & Allyson O’Connor†. 2022. “Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on rural survivors of intimate partner violence.” Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, & Policy. Advance online: https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001244