Mental health of urban Black women experiencing intimate partner violence since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

Black women are disproportionally impacted by intimate partner violence (IPV), which influences women's mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic caused significant mental health strain on women experiencing IPV while also affecting their ability to seek mental health services. This study was conducted to qualitatively investigate the impact of IPV on urban Black women's mental health since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis is part of an ongoing mixed-methods study in the Upper Midwest of the United States. We used purposive and snowball sampling to engage 28 women in in-depth individual interviews. Using content analysis, four themes were identified, including (1) anxious feelings, (2) feeling depressed, (3) posttraumatic stress disorder feelings, and (4) substance use. There is an urgent need to consider mental health interventions in times of national or global crises. Mental health interventions are especially of consideration for populations experiencing deep vulnerability, like women who experience IPV. This is more so the case in crises where there is a need to enact restrictive policies to contain public health epidemics or pandemics.