Intimate partner violence complaints during COVID-19 lockdown in Spain: a cross-sectional and a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 lockdown, a large proportion of the women exposed to intimate partner violence had to live with their abusers full-time. This study analyzes the new official complaints that were filed during the lockdown in Spain. METHODS: Data from the Comprehensive Monitoring System for Cases of Gender Violence from the Ministry of the Interior, Spain. Using logistic regression models, the complaints registered during the lockdown were compared to those registered in the previous year. Subsequently, we analysed association between the seriousness of the incident reported and the period in which the complaint was filed. RESULTS: Official complaints decreased by 19% during the lockdown. The probability of complaints during lockdown mainly increased when victims had a relationship with the abusers [odds ratio (OR) = 1.33] and when they lacked social support (OR = 1.22). The probability that the complaints were associated with previous jealousy (OR = 0.87), previous harassment behaviours (OR = 0.88) or the victim's fear for minors' safety (OR = 0.87) decreased. In addition, during lockdown increased the probability that the complaints filed were due to incidents of severe physical violence (OR = 1.17); severe psychological violence against women with minors in their charge (OR = 1.22); and severe violence due to threats (OR = 1.53) when the woman had previously suffered harassment. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in new complaints during the studied period and the increase in their severity evidence difficulties in seeking help due to the lockdown. In situations of confinement, it is necessary to design measures that protect women with a lack of social support, and at those who live with the aggressor.

Beyond the Initial Assault: Characterizing Revictimization in Intimate Partner Violence and Its Implications for Women's Health.

Recent research has emphasized the importance of addressing specific victim-related factors to reduce victims' vulnerability and prevent future revictimization experiences. This study aimed to analyze the vulnerability profiles of women who were victims of intimate partner violence, including those who had experienced a single incident of violence and those who had endured revictimization. Participants were 338 women with active judicial protection measures registered in the system of support for victims of gender violence (VioGén) in Madrid, Spain. The analysis considered sociodemographic characteristics, victimization history, perceived triggers of violence, women's responses and feelings, as well as clinical outcomes linked to revictimization history. The study revealed that many victims faced socioeconomic vulnerability. Furthermore, the findings underscored the intricate link between the likelihood of enduring chronic violence and women's awareness of early indicators of violence risk, their initial responses to aggression, communication skills, and recurrent behaviors in the context of an established violent dynamic. This study offers valuable insights for law enforcement to identify the risk of revictimization. Furthermore, findings raise awareness about the particularly vulnerable situation of some women to repeated victimization experiences and provide relevant information for clinical intervention.

Correction: Evolution and study of a copycat effect in intimate partner homicides: A lesson from Spanish femicides.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217914.].

Evolution and study of a copycat effect in intimate partner homicides: A lesson from Spanish femicides.

OBJECTIVES: This paper focuses on the issue of intimate partner violence and, specifically, on the distribution of femicides over time and the existence of copycat effects. This is the subject of an ongoing debate often triggered by the social alarm following multiple intimate partner homicides (IPHs) occurring in a short span of time. The aim of this research is to study the evolution of IPHs and provide a far-reaching answer by rigorously analyzing and searching for patterns in data on femicides. METHODS: The study analyzes an official dataset, provided by the system VioGén of the Secretaría de Estado de Seguridad (Spanish State Secretariat for Security), including all the femicides occurred in Spain in 2007-2017. A statistical methodology to identify temporal interdependencies in count time series is proposed and applied to the dataset. The same methodology can be applied to other contexts. RESULTS: There has been a decreasing trend in the number of femicides per year. No interdependencies among the temporal distribution of femicides are observed. Therefore, according to data, the existence of copycat effect in femicides cannot be claimed. CONCLUSIONS: Around 2011 there was a clear change in the average number of femicides which has not picked up. Results allow for an informed answer to the debate on copycat effect in Spanish femicides. The planning of femicides prevention activities should not be a reaction to a perceived increase in their occurrence. As a copycat effect is not detected in the studied time period, there is no evidence supporting the need to censor media reports on femicides.