This story was originally published by Verite News
Extended heatwaves in New Orleans have been tied to spikes in domestic violence-related calls, according to a new, robust peer-reviewed study.
Dangerously hot days are on the rise as the climate changes due to human-caused global warming. This year, New Orleans has faced 20 heat advisories and three extreme heat warnings, according to the National Weather Service. Published on Aug. 29 in JAMA Network Open, the research found that the longer residents experience extreme heat, the more likely the weather could turn into a trigger for violence between intimate partners.
Projections show lengthy heatwaves will occur even more frequently in the coming decades, potentially exacerbating the city’s existing problems with domestic violence. The study’s authors said they believe the study shows the city should integrate its heat-mitigation strategies with its efforts to limit violence, especially between partners.
“A lot of people know alcohol can be a trigger. This research lets people know heat can be a trigger. It’s not an excuse, there’s never an excuse for domestic violence. But this could be one of those things to elevate your risk,” said Newcomb Institute Executive Director Anita Raj, whose institute helped conduct the research.
The study reviewed more than 150,000 calls to the New Orleans Police Department related to domestic violence from 2011 to 2021, matching the daily call volume to the weather conditions in each zip code.
Emergency calls related to domestic violence were 4% more likely when the average temperature stayed above 86 degrees for at least five days. At even hotter temperatures, the odds worsened.
“What we find is that a prolonged exposure appears to have a cumulative effect on stress and intrusive behavior,” said the study’s lead author, Arnab Dey, of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. “So our theory is that a single hot day might be more manageable, but when people experience multiple consecutive days of extreme heat, especially without adequate cooling, the physiological and the psychological stress would build up.”
The study estimated that about 245 domestic violence-related calls may have been avoided if not for the heat. Raj and Dey noted that their police data likely significantly underestimates the number of incidents as people often call 911 in the most severe cases.
“It’s likely just the tip of the iceberg,” Raj said.
‘Heat in particular does create agitation’
Dey and Raj said they hope, given the early warnings available for extreme heat, public officials can help raise the public’s awareness of this connection by including domestic violence as one of the risks during a heatwave. In New Orleans, heatwaves lasting at least three days could be 85% more likely in 30 years, according to an analysis by the First Street Foundation.
“Heat in particular does create agitation, and, for some, that agitation can move towards aggression,” Raj said. “
Other studies have documented how gun violence also becomes more likely when it’s hot outside. Research linking aggression to heat also goes back decades. Raj said she would like to see reminders to the public about the psychological effect of heat and messages like: “Stay cool in body, stay cool in mind.”
Raj said the research will be shared with advocates for domestic violence survivors and prevention, as well as city officials, to help shape their work.
Eva Lessinger is the co-director of Beyond Harm, an advocacy group that provides intervention services to stop the cycle of domestic violence outside of the criminal justice system. She said this type of information can help to mitigate domestic violence but stressed that heat, or other factors like alcohol use, does not cause domestic violence.
“There’s so many things that can exacerbate an already violent situation,” Lessinger said, noting alcohol, mental illness, stress and poverty on top of heat. “But I don’t think anything really causes domestic violence except the person who is using the violence. … A pattern of control over your partner isn’t going anywhere, even during the winter.”
Lessinger said there’s still controversy over what exactly causes domestic violence, but one theory is that it relies on a person creating a belief system that allows them to justify the abuse of another due to their life experiences. Disrupting and changing those beliefs can require intervention programs involving tactics like accountability groups, therapy and case management, like Beyond Harm’s offers.
While understanding the link between heat and domestic violence won’t solve the epidemic, Lessinger said she agreed with the importance of taking a holistic approach to how human behavior can be affected by climate.
Raj said he hopes to see more research examining the relationship between climate hazards and public health as extreme heat grows more intense, frequent and longer. Humid heat is especially concerning because it’s known to affect the body more severely, yet much is still unknown about how the rapid changes are affecting human well-being.
“With that increased intensity, the problem becomes more serious,” Raj said. “It behooves us to act very fast and use all the knowledge that we have to address these problems that are coming.”