The Victim-Offender Overlap During the Global Pandemic: A Comparative Study Across Western and Non-Western Countries

This study explores the victim-offender overlap, where intimate partner victimization (physical and verbal) increases the likelihood of subsequent violent behavior, within the context of the global pandemic, using data from both Western (the United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands) and non-Western (Ukraine, Guatemala, and Pakistan) settings. Findings reveal that pandemic strain (e.g., concerns about the virus, food shortages, and health care issues) is significantly associated with violence (Western: b = .071, p < .001; non-Western: b = .025, p < .001) and the risk of victimization in both contexts. Verbal and physical victimization are also associated with violence across Western and non-Western settings. Verbal victimization explains 26% of the pandemic strain-violence relationship solely in Western contexts. These findings underscore the need for culturally sensitive strategies addressing pandemic-related stressors, ultimately reducing victimization and violence during global health crises.