Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Research Protocols
Date Submitted: May 27, 2024
Date Accepted: Sep 28, 2024
Global and Regional Prevalence of Domestic Violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Determinants: Protocol for a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Domestic violence is one of the most significant global public health priorities. This social problem could be accelerated by global catastrophes such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The structural changes due to the imposition of health measures, combined with personal and social problems, may worsen the situation.
Objective:
The purpose of the upcoming study is to investigate the global and regional prevalence of domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and its determinants.
Methods:
We will perform a comprehensive review of the literature in PubMed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Cochrane Covid-19 Register, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts up to July 2024. This review will adhere the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) reporting guidelines. Observational studies will be considered eligible if they have a population-based design, report the number of cases or prevalence of DV during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also report potential determinants. Studies in languages other than English, those with unclear data, case reports, conference proceedings, reviews, and letters will be excluded. To assess the methodological quality, a standardized critical appraisal checklist for studies reporting prevalence data will be used. A robust Bayesian approach will be applied using the STATA software package (version 14; STATA Inc., College Station, TX, USA) and JASP software.
Results:
The search and screening for the systematic literature review are anticipated to be finished in October 2024. Data extraction, quality appraisal, and subsequent data synthesis will begin in November 2024. The review is expected to be completed by April 2025, and the study results will be published in 2025.
Conclusions:
This systematic review and meta-analysis will address significant gaps in understanding the pandemic's impact on domestic violence, providing a comprehensive assessment of its prevalence and contributing factors. Despite some limitations, the study incorporates diverse data sources and vulnerable groups to offer a detailed and accurate picture. The findings will inform targeted interventions and policy responses to mitigate the impact of future global crises on domestic violence rates. Clinical Trial: The protocol for this study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022351634).
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