Long Journeys Toward Freedom: The Relationship Between Coercive Control and Space for Action—Measurement and Emerging Evidence

In Sharp-Jeffs et al.'s longitudinal study, nearly 90% of women interviewed in the third wave (N = 72) reported different forms of post-separation abuse, including their abuser's manipulation of social institutions, for example, by bad-mouthing her to social services.

“Sharp-Jeffs et al. (2018) conducted a longitudinal study, in which nearly 90% of the women interviewed in the third wave (N = 72) reported different forms of post-separation abuse, including their abuser's manipulation of social institutions, for example, by bad-mouthing her to social services.”

Coercive control intersects with other dominant systems of power, with perpetrators known to incite aspects of women's social identities and history to oppress and exert power, including disability, citizenship, mental health and/or religious beliefs.

“Further, coercive control intersects with other dominant systems of power, with perpetrators known to incite aspects of women's social identities and history to oppress and exert power, including disability, citizenship, mental health and/or religious beliefs (Sharp-Jeffs et al., 2018).”

There are considerable challenges in developing reliable and valid scales to measure coercive control, given that it is conceptually very broad and experientially highly diverse.

“There are also considerable challenges in developing reliable and valid scales to measure coercive control, given that it is conceptually very broad and experientially highly diverse (Wangmann, 2011;Sharp-Jeffs et al., 2018).”

Offences reflect the dominant incident-based discourse around violence that centres on specific acts intended to injure or otherwise cause harm.

“Rather, offences reflect the dominant incident-based discourse around violence that centres on specific acts intended to injure or otherwise cause harm (Sharp-Jeffs et al., 2018;Stark, 2006).”