“We were locked in with our trauma”- Full Report
A mixed-methods study by Dr.Idriss-Wheeler et al. (2026) reveals that Ontario’s COVID-19 lockdowns disproportionately disrupted the behavioural, psychological, and physiological health of intimate partner violence (IPV) survivors. Among 653 surveyed women, IPV survivors experienced spiked substance use, severe sleep loss, and double the odds of poor mental and physical health driven by trauma, stigma, and structural barriers. Consequently, the authors urge policymakers to integrate dedicated IPV mitigation and trauma-informed care directly into future emergency preparedness planning.
