Effects of historical coercive control, historical violence and lawyer representation on post-seperation male partner violence against mother litigants who participated in adversarial family court proceedings

Abstract
The primary objective of this study was to test the effects of historical male partner
violence and lawyer representation on post-separation male partner violence and
coercive control against mother litigants participating in adversarial family court
proceedings. Toward this end, staff at two women’s shelters administered a
questionnaire to 40 former residents who met the sample selection criteria. Two
findings are noteworthy. First, there was a decrease in mother litigant reports
of post-separation physical violence requiring a visit to a hospital. Second, post-
separation male partner coercive control “most/some of the time” was reported by
97.5% of all 40 separated mother litigants who also reported experiencing historical
coercive control by their male partners. Recommendations and limitations are
described in the final two pages.

Ellis, D., Lewis, T., & Nepon, T. (2021). Effects of Historical Coercive Control, Historical Violence, and Lawyer Representation on Post-Separation Male Partner Violence Against Mother Litigants Who Participated in Adversarial Family Court Proceedings. Violence against Women, 27(9), 1191–1210. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801220921939