Stay-At-Home Does Not Mean Safe-At-Home: Safety Strategies Utilized by Black Women Intimate Partner Violence Survivors during COVID-19

Authors

• Deja Knight, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Gloria Mpundu, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing
• D'Andre Walker, University of Mississippi
• Shannon Whittaker, Yale University
• Nicole Overstreet, Clark UniversityFollow
• Sabriya Linton, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
• Gretta Gardner, The National Center On Violence Against Women in the Black Community
• Tiara C. Willie, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19), Black women in the United States (U.S.) experienced higher intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence and worse IPV-related outcomes compared to their white counterparts. Despite widespread attention to IPV during COVID-19, there was limited discussion of the safety strategies Black women used to protect themselves. This study details the safety strategies of Black women IPV survivors during COVID-19. Methods: Fifty U.S. Black cisgender women IPV survivors were recruited to participate in a one-time, semi-structured interview between January 2021 and April 2021. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze all transcripts. Results: Black women IPV survivors utilized strategies to prevent escalation of abuse, while other survivors used strategies to avoid anticipated abuse. To prevent escalation, they: 1) self-silenced, 2) created physical distance by leaving places where the abusive partner was located, and 3) sought assistance from informal (e.g., family) and formal (e.g., law enforcement) sources. To avoid future instances of violence, they employed specific strategies to stay safe from their abusive partners. For example, they 1) found a second place to go to when they anticipated violence, 2) changed their daily routines, 3) hid money, food, or other resources around the house, and 4) kept their children away from their abusive partner. Conclusion: Complementary community resources and services should be provided for Black women IPV survivors. Additionally, providing culturally sensitive training to community members on how to identify and respond to acts of IPV among Black women is imperative. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2026.

Publication Title

Journal of Family Violence

Publication Date

2026

ISSN

0885-7482

DOI

10.1007/s10896-026-01103-3

Keywords

Black women, COVID-19, intimate partner violence, IPV, lockdown, pandemic, safety

Repository Citation

Knight, Deja; Mpundu, Gloria; Walker, D'Andre; Whittaker, Shannon; Overstreet, Nicole; Linton, Sabriya; Gardner, Gretta; and Willie, Tiara C., "Stay-At-Home Does Not Mean Safe-At-Home: Safety Strategies Utilized by Black Women Intimate Partner Violence Survivors during COVID-19" (2026). Psychology. 996.
https://commons.clarku.edu/faculty_psychology/996