Behind Closed Doors: Relationship Stressors and Domestic Violence During the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has introduced a plethora of relationship stressors, many leading to severe social issues such as an increase in domestic violence cases worldwide. This study uses two methods; first, an extended literature review to identify primary themes relating to relationship stressors and domestic violence during the pandemic. Then, three Canadian news media sources are analyzed to see how these themes were portrayed. News coverage from the start of the pandemic until June 2022 is analyzed to see which themes were the most commonly reported and the sentiment of the coverage. Gaining an understanding of how the Canadian news media represents the social issues identified in the literature review can reveal public attitudes toward the social issue and whether action is being taken to address these issues once they are reported in news media.