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Prevalence, increase and predictors of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, using modern machine learning

Kristina Todorovic1, Erin O'Leary2, Kaitlin P Ward3

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH, United States.

Frontiers in Psychiatry
|August 29, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Parental empathy and well-being reduce child maltreatment risk during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family violence, including physical punishment and partner altercations, significantly increased, highlighting the need for mental health support and parenting programs.

Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Public Health
  • Data Science

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted mental health, leading to increased child maltreatment and intimate partner violence.
  • Family violence poses a significant public health concern, exacerbated by pandemic-related stressors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify key predictors of child maltreatment and intimate partner violence during the COVID-19 pandemic using machine learning.
  • To analyze the prevalence of family violence at different stages of the pandemic.

Main Methods:

  • Machine learning models, including random forest and SHAP values, were employed to analyze data from 380 participants.
  • Data included COVID-19 related factors, parental psychological distress, personality traits, and relationship dynamics.
  • A longitudinal cohort study assessed family violence across three time points between March and June 2020.

Main Results:

  • Parental affective empathy, psychological well-being, and engaging in outdoor activities with children were associated with a lower risk of child maltreatment.
  • A reduction in physical altercations between partners also predicted decreased child maltreatment.
  • Significant increases in physical punishment of children and physical/verbal altercations between partners were observed during the pandemic.

Conclusions:

  • Predictive algorithms can identify crucial factors influencing child maltreatment.
  • Raising awareness of family violence and implementing mental health-focused parenting programs are essential for mitigation efforts.
Abstract

Keywords:
COVID-19anxietychild maltreatmentdepressionintimate partner violencemachine learningrandom forest

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