- October 07, 2025
- By Fid Thompson
A new study from the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health is the first to show that drought and extreme heat are linked to more violence in intimate relationships.
Led by Pin Wang, an environmental health specialist focused on how climate affects population health, the study analyzed Demographic and Health Surveys data on intimate partner violence from over 400,000 women in 42 low- and middle-income countries, in relation to drought and heat indices.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, found that 12-month drought was linked to a 7% increase in the risk of intimate partner violence, whether emotional, physical or sexual. The risk of emotional violence was highest in a one-month drought period, and the risk of physical violence was highest during a year-round drought.
“Earlier studies have shown extreme heat relates to increases in violence in intimate relationships,” Wang said. “Our findings show that as the intensity of drought and extreme heat increases, so does the risk of violence.”
While the reasons for such increases in intimate partner violence were not a part of this study, Wang noted that contributing factors could include mental disorders among men (who are more often heads of households in low- and middle-income countries) after experiencing poverty-related stress from crop failure or livestock loss, as well as the stress from trauma due to natural disasters.
According to 2025 global climate predictions from the World Meteorological Organization, temperatures are expected to “continue at or near record levels in the next five years,” resulting in intense droughts and harmful heat waves, among other extreme weather.
“The prevalence of intimate partner violence is already very high globally and the highest in low- and middle-income countries,” Wang said. “With extreme weather set to increase, the implications are clear: Study and mitigation of intimate partner violence due to extreme weather need much more attention.”