Behind Closed Doors: Domestic Violence & COVID-19 Pandemic

Collectively, the world came to a halt in 2020. To stop the spread of COVID-19, stay-at-home orders were issued across the country for all but essential workers. The pandemic certainly created unprecedented challenges for our nation’s health care system and economy, but it also exacerbated preexisting injustices in our society, including homelessness, poverty, racial inequities, and health disparities. Occupational therapy practitioners working within the context of community-based mental health witnessed the rapid increase in mental health crises and an escalation in domestic violence (DV). While working as an occupational therapist serving survivors of DV, first author Viviana Padilla witnessed a silent pandemic of DV continue to surge.