COVID-19-related homestay orders and domestic violence in Australia: a systematic review

An emerging hypothesis in the violence and aggression literature is that homestays caused by disasters and pandemics are associated with an upsurge in domestic violence (DV). This systematic review examined associations between COVID-19-related "homestay orders" and DV in Australia as two major cities (Melbourne and Sydney) in the country experienced the longest COVID-19-induced homestay orders in the world between March 2020 and October 2021. Studies were retrieved from ProQuest, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar. Included studies met eight eligibility criteria and were filtered by title and abstract screening and subsequently filtered by full-text screening. The reporting of the results was based on the Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) guidelines. Joanna Briggs Institute's (JBI) critical appraisal tool and Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool-version 2 (RoB 2) were used to assess the quality of the included studies. The review process is displayed in a flowchart, and the findings are presented in Tables. Overall, 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The synthesized findings highlight a notable increase in instances of DV in Australia during the initial half of 2020. Factors such as job losses, employment uncertainties, reduced social interactions with peers, and housing challenges, stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic were identified as contributing to this rise, with several individuals experiencing DV for the first time. Notably, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the impact of homestay orders and COVID-19-related DV on men, children, and sexual minorities. This study underscores the need to formulate interventions tailored to address the COVID-19 pandemic-related DV. Furthermore, it demonstrates the necessity for additional research to fill the gaps in understanding homestay orders and their impact on DV dynamics post-pandemic, particularly concerning their impact on men, children, and sexual minorities.