Dr. Vithya Murugan, Ph.D., M.S.W. Receives SPARK Grant to Study the Effects of COVID-19 on Domestic Violence

Vithya Murugan, Ph.D., M.S.W., Assistant Professor of Social Work  along with Terri Weaver, Ph.D., a professor in the psychology department were recently awarded a SPARK grant to explore the effects of COVID-19 on survivors of domestic violence and service provisions in the St. Louis metropolitan area.

In a recent interview, Dr. Murugan explained why this work is so important.  As we are already seeing an increase in hotline calls, this work is of great significance not just in St. Louis, but everywhere!

Below are a few highlights from the discussion:

What is Intimate Partner Violence? 
"IPV is a systematic, repetitive pattern of manipulative behavior used in order to gain and maintain power and control over a current or former partner/spouse. IPV includes physical, sexual, psychological and/or financial abuse." 
 
What are your specific areas of research interest pertaining to IPV? 
"I am particularly interested in IPV among ethnic/minority women, including immigrants and refugees-- how these populations define, conceptualize, and experience violence. I am also interested in culturally-relevant and trauma-informed prevention and intervention strategies."

What are some factors that complicate intimate partner violence during quarantine or the stay-at-home order?

• Close proximity to the abuser. Many individuals experiencing IPV are practicing social distancing under the same roof as their abusers. In addition to physical and sexual violence, common abuse tactics include isolation from family and friends, constant surveillance of activity, and strict rules for behavior. Stay at home orders provide environments conducive to practicing such tactics. Additionally, this leaves limited opportunities for individuals experiencing IPV to seek relief, from informal sources (e.g., family, friends) and/or formal sources (e.g., counseling, legal help, medical help).
• Children are at home. Therefore, individuals must tend to and protect their children. There is an established body of work that demonstrates the association between IPV and child abuse.
• This is a stressful time. COVID-19 has caused a lot of stress and anxiety in general- illness/death, loss of job/income, etc. In violent relationships, stress often exacerbates the violence.

What resources do city/state officials and health care systems need to be considering related to the topic of intimate partner violence and COVID-19?
Survivors often have overlapping and intersectional needs including safe emergency housing, medical care, counseling services, legal aid, and childcare.

Tell us more about the SPARK grant and your goals for the project?
"Home is not a safe option for individuals who are experiencing domestic violence. We realize that the landscape of COVID-19’s impact on domestic violence survivors is continuing to unfold and that there may be different issues in the short, medium and longer term.  Ultimately, our goal is to identify the St. Louis metro needs around IPV in this current climate, including challenges to keeping individuals experiencing domestic violence safe, and to leverage a request for resources to address these unmet needs. We are also interested in learning about creative ways that domestic violence agencies and the individuals, themselves, are responding to the current crisis.”

Dr. Weaver and Dr. Murugan are going to interview executive directors and ask what the needs are among the agencies providing services and what the needs among individuals experiencing violence starting in May. Look out for more information.

We can't wait to see what Dr. Murugan and Dr. Weaver find including what strategies have been employed to stay safe and how this will change the future!

About the College for Public Health and Social Justice

The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the College offers nationally recognized programs in public health, social work, health administration, urban planning, applied behavior analysis, criminology and criminal justice, and outcomes research and data science.