Intimate partner violence and women's mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil

Abstract Objectives: Intimate partner violence (IPV) increased extensively around the world during the pandemic, causing severe harm to women's mental health. However, there are no studies showing these effects in Brazil. The objectives of this study were to assess perpetration of IPV and presence of depression and suicidal ideation in women living in Brazil during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey including women living in Brazil from July 2020 to June 2021. Participants answered a 43-item self-administered questionnaire exploring their characteristics and life changes due to the pandemic (CoRonavIruS Health Impact Survey [CRISIS]), IPV (World Health Organization Violence Against Women [WHO-VAW]), and depressive symptoms or suicidal ideation (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9]). We used Poisson multiple regression analyses with robust variance to model associations between IPV and mental health outcomes, considering aspects of social vulnerability as covariates. Results: We found high frequencies of IPV (33.3%), depression (36.1%), and suicidal ideation (19.8%) among the participants. IPV was significantly associated with depression (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.502, p = 0.001 for one type of IPV; PR = 2.702, p < 0.001 for two or three types of IPV) and with suicidal ideation (PR = 2.264, p < 0.001 for one type of VPI; PR = 3.272, p < 0.001 for two or three types of IPV). Food insecurity, being black, lower educational levels, and being in a relationship with a person of the same gender were associated with one or both mental health outcomes. Conclusions: We demonstrated associations between IPV and higher frequencies of depression and suicidal ideation in women living in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the urgency of strengthening strategies to protect women during adversity.