Social isolation and loneliness as factors maintaining domestic violence (2024-2027)

Isolating victims from support systems is a common tactic of domestic violence, yet we know very little about a key psychological consequence of this: Loneliness. Early research has identified loneliness as a factor in victim-survivor decisions to stay in violent relationships and to return after escape. This project aims to understand loneliness as a feature of domestic violence and its long-term impacts on victim-survivors using a mixed-methods approach. This will include collection of repeated measures and qualitative data with victim-survivors and service workers. This project will endeavour to provide a comprehensive picture of the impact of loneliness on victims of domestic violence and how we can shape our future service responses.