# The imperative for universal screening of domestic violence: Social determinants of health disparities during COVID-19 within New Jersey

## TL;DR

This study explores how domestic violence rates in New Jersey changed during the pandemic and how they relate to social factors and health disparities.

## Contribution

The study identifies socioeconomic factors linked to increased domestic violence during the pandemic, despite no direct correlation with COVID-19 rates.

## Key findings

- Domestic violence incidence increased in New Jersey during the pandemic, but not correlated with local COVID-19 rates.
- Asian populations showed a significant correlation between race and domestic violence rates.
- Socioeconomic factors like unemployment and income correlated with domestic violence rates.

## Abstract

It is recognized that stressors encountered during the COVID-19 pandemic created an environment that exacerbated DV. COVID disproportionately impacted at-risk populations, but it is unclear if these social determinants of health disparities similarly impact the incidence of DV. This study aimed to identify and highlight affected communities within the state of New Jersey (NJ) that were disproportionately affected by domestic violence (DV) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study design was retrospective cross-sectional.

Public data from the NJ Department of Health, Department of Law and Public Safety, and US Census were compared. Community factors, DV incidence, and COVID rates were analyzed using a t-test and Spearman correlation.

NJ COVID-19 Incidence rates significantly correlated with varied populations based on socioeconomic status, race, and ethnicity. The median incidence of DV per county population significantly increased from 0.55 % in 2019 to 0.63 % in 2020 (p = 0.03). However, DV incidence was not correlated with rates of COVID-19 per county (p = 0.25). Race and ethnicity did not correlate with DV rates (White, p = 0.06; Black, p = 0.11; 2+ races, 0.14; Hispanic, p = 0.55) except for Asian populations (p = 0.01). Some socioeconomic factors did correlate with DV (unemployment, p = 0.04; median household income, p = 0.003); poverty did not (p = 0.11).

NJ experienced a surge in DV rates during the pandemic that cut across communities of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, in contrast to the more unequal impact of COVID-19 incidence. Findings highlight the importance of screening for DV in times of societal distress to clinicians, researchers, and policymakers.