“It's Like You're a Living Hostage, and It Never Ends”: A Qualitative Examination of the Trauma and Mental Health Impacts of Coercive Control

Abstract

Coercive control is a complex and poorly understood dimension of intimate partner violence that is associated with trauma and mental health consequences. It is essential to understand the nuanced and varied experiences of coercive control and potential processes of traumatization. In this qualitative phenomenological study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 women who had experienced coercive control and accessed domestic violence services in Australia. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, which addressed two research questions: (1) How do women describe their experiences of coercive control and (2) How do women describe the impact of coercive control exposure on their me..