Using a Critical Community-Engaged Realist Review to Inform Decisions During a Crisis: The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Intimate Partner Violence Survivors and Service Provision

Purpose: Intimate Partner violence (IPV) is known to escalate during crises and the same was true for the Covid-19 pandemic (Lyons and Brewer, 2021). Many IPV organizations noted increases in demand and profound changes in service delivery (Woman Act, 2020). However, little is known about the successes and challenges of these changes. This paper conducted a critical community-engaged realist review of studies on intimate partner violence, COVID-19 responses, and service provision to understand what interventions worked and for whom in which contexts. Method: A review of scholarly and grey literature from six databases published between December 31st, 2019, to April 2022 was done. Our inclusion criteria included empirical articles that focused on direct service provision to people experiencing IPV during COVID-19. Our search yielded 2061 articles, including 49 articles that met our criteria. Results: We found that during COVID-19, governments intervened with COVID-19 management measures and funding decisions. In gender-based violence organizations, interventions to continue service provision were COVID-19 management measures, remote service delivery, and collaborations and innovations designed to maintain or expand service delivery. The conditions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic created unique and complex circumstances for both providers and survivors. This paper describes the substantial amount of adaptation and innovation that allowed many gender-based violence services to continue during the pandemic as well as the impact on both staff and survivors. Conclusions: We highlight the critical importance of involving IPV organizations in government decision-making during crises. We recommend that sectors in the service industry build new partnerships and strengthen existing ones, and that flexibility in service provision be embraced and encouraged, as contexts of what works best vary for each organization and survivor.