The Surveys of Domestic Violence Among Families in Bangkok During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Background: The global COVID-19 outbreak affects economic conditions at all levels, from global to family. Most people’s lifestyles have changed dramatically, including restrictions on movement and spending more time with their families. As a result, it may contribute in family problems, particularly domestic violence.

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence and impact of domestic violence on families in Bangkok during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate the prevalence of domestic violence and family factors related to changes in family violence in Bangkok, during 2020 to 2021. The sample consisted of 198 women over the age of 15, and data were collected by using women’s and family welfare questionnaire and analyzed by descriptive statistics, the McNemar statistical test, and the Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: The prevalence of domestic violence in Bangkok decreased from 42.9% from the first outbreak (January - May 2020) to 37.4% of the second outbreak (July 2020 - January 2021) but there was no statistically significant difference (P > .05) between the 2 periods. However, in this study population, the most significant factors (P < .05), such as family income per month, work impact, economic issue, and family stress were recognized.

Conclusions: This study highlighted that domestic violence among women during the COVID-19 pandemic has had remarkable negative economic, stress and social consequences for families.