Partner violence and well-being in times of lockdown

Archive, 2020: this article was published during the coronavirus crisis. The temporary measures it refers to no longer apply. The research findings concern the lockdown in the spring of 2020. If you are dealing with partner violence today, contact a helpline in your country free of charge and anonymously or, in an emergency, call the emergency number.

In April, in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, two university professors carried out a study into the effects of the crisis on people’s mental health, work and relationships. The study was carried out on a limited population of 3807 people by means of a questionnaire. In total, only the answers of 2889 people were taken into account. Even so, this study gives more insight into what was going on in families during the lockdown:

• Mental well-being: Young people and students struggle significantly more often with feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness than older age groups or people in other work situations.

• Coronavirus stress: Young people suffer more from feelings of stress about the current coronavirus crisis and the future than older age groups. Students and people who are temporarily unemployed because of the coronavirus crisis also have significantly more feelings of stress than people in other work situations.

• Relationship stress: Young people report significantly more relationship stress and verbal aggression between themselves and their partner than older age groups. Women also experience verbal aggression more often than men. Finally, 1.1% of men and 2.0% of women in a relationship report that they experienced physical aggression with their partner during the coronavirus crisis.

• Work and study stress: Women suffer more often from work and study stress during the coronavirus crisis than men. In addition, women report significantly more loss of concentration at work than men. The same applies to teleworkers compared with people in other work situations.

• Financial stress: People who became unemployed because of the coronavirus crisis experience significantly more financial stress than people in other work situations, both for their current financial situation and for the future. People who had to work at their workplace during the coronavirus crisis also experience more financial stress than teleworkers.

The findings are that the coronavirus crisis and the accompanying government measures are related to feelings of stress in the areas of work, relationships, finances and parenthood. In addition, there appear to be problems for mental well-being, especially among young people, and many people experience stress that is specifically related to the coronavirus, both for the current situation and for the future. The results presented in the full report can serve as a guide for policymakers and care providers, so as to offer targeted care and support to those who badly need it in these difficult coronavirus times. For a detailed report on the results of this study, we refer you to: Ponnet, K., Hardyns, W., Anrijs, S., & Schokkenbroek, J.M. (2020). Welzijn en relaties in tijden van corona: Bevindingen van een survey-onderzoek in België van 3-17 april, 2020. Gent: Universiteit Gent.

International research and a survey of family law lawyers come to the following conclusions: the number of requests for mediation or divorce has also increased, in addition to the number of reports of partner violence. Every situation is different from family to family and from person to person. And every story often has two sides. Being “locked up” or having to “stay at home” has led to tensions for many families or caused heightened stress. This has affected many relationships between partners. Many people who were in a problematic situation were also unable to speak out about it straight away.

Physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence between partners

Partner violence is not a one-off event; it is a dynamic in which your relationship has become trapped. Violence often develops step by step. It is often hard to determine when and how exactly it began. That is why, in cases of partner violence, we often speak of a spiral of violence: periods of calm follow periods of violence, and that violence usually gets worse and worse.

Partner violence occurs in all age groups, all socio-economic classes, all cultures, and in heterosexual as well as homosexual relationships. Most often women are the victims, but it must not be forgotten that men also experience partner violence.

You can make a theoretical distinction between four forms of partner violence:

• Physical violence: Physical violence is physically hurting a person, for example by hitting, kicking, pulling their hair, throwing them against the wall, strangling them (or attempting to) … But also preventing access to the home, locking them up, throwing them out of the house, leaving them by the side of the road, as well as violence towards pets or objects that are important to the person.

• Sexual violence: This covers any deliberate attempt at rape, as well as rape itself. Rape means the deliberate penetration of any part of the body or bodily opening with a sexual organ, another part of the body or an object, of a person who does not consent or is not able to give or refuse consent.

• Psychological violence: Within partner relationships, psychological violence is the most common. Psychological violence gradually undermines the victim’s normal functioning and self-confidence. It can involve humiliation, threats, forbidding contact, ignoring, controlling. The constant threat that comes with psychological violence is very far-reaching and can have serious consequences for the victim’s emotional state.

• Economic violence: Money can also be used as a weapon in a relationship. Perpetrators of economic abuse monitor household spending in detail, prevent their victims from getting a job or income of their own, or take money from them. This leaves the victim completely dependent on (the income of) the partner and makes it even harder to escape the violence.

Partner violence still costs lives every year. On average, victims only report it to the police after 35 incidents. That means they often spend 2 years in a violent relationship before they seek help. 1 in 7 families is affected by family violence. In 4 out of 5 cases children are also exposed to violence, and in 3 out of 5 cases they are victims themselves. Are you a victim of partner violence? Or do you know someone in your circle who needs help? You can turn to the following organisations:

• Your GP or a helpline in your country, where you can talk anonymously and often free of charge, day and night.

• A support centre for victims of (sexual) violence in your area, for a listening ear, shelter and help with reporting to the police.

• In an emergency, call the emergency number.

Source: https://rosavzw.be/nl/themas/geweld-en-seksuele-discriminatie/partnergeweld

Partner violence is a delicate subject and we are not going to pretend here that we can offer you a solution by saving money. Even so, economic independence is an important factor within a relationship. If you have a job of your own, earn your own money and put it (partly) into an account in your own name, that can give you a lot of peace of mind. It also makes you more independent of your partner, and that makes it a little less difficult to leave a relationship if that is necessary. All the more reason, then, to open your own bank account and savings account.

Would you like to find out more about wealth, saving or investing? Then do not hesitate to contact the Financial Well-Being Academy, the training centre of Het Financieel Huis for people who want to build their financial confidence and wealth.

Do you want to take action straight away? Do you want to safeguard or build up your own wealth? Then get in touch at this email address: info@financialwellbeingacademy.com or simply visit the website and use the contact form you will find there to get in touch with us. We will gladly put you in touch with an adviser so that we can give a suitable answer to all your questions. You can also take a look at our partners yourself and search by profession and speciality.