VPI in the News

Researchers at Tulane University's School of Social Work are studying the connection between the coronavirus pandemic and intimate partner violence, or IPV. Reggie Ferreira, an associate professor, said there has been a longstanding link between disasters and an increase in IPV

Dr. Catherine McKinley, associate professor in the school of social work at Tulane University, has extensively researched issues surrounding Native Americans. She said there are countless studies demonstrating how different forms of racism and discrimination negatively affect mental and social health — a major problem in the Native American community. “Dehumanizing media images have really been used since the beginning of colonization to denigrate native groups,’’ McKinley said. “So this is just a continued form of historical oppression."

Physical distancing, isolation and quarantine meausures designed to stop the spread of the virus could lead to an increase in family violence at home, according to a perspective in Pediatrics co-authored by Tulane University child psychiatrists. The stress of bad behavior along with financial, logistical and existential concerns are a recipe for angry outbursts, even verbal and physical abuse, said co-author Dr. Charles Zeanah