Citation

Bradshaw J, Gutowski ER, Nyenyezi K. Violence Against Women 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/10778012231205586

PMID

37807804

Abstract

Although intimate partner violence (IPV)-exposed mothers report distress during family court proceedings, no known research examines what helps them cope. We analyzed qualitative responses from 214 IPV-exposed mothers to the question of who/what helped during family court. Participants described (a) receiving social support, (b) accessing tools and resources, (c) modifying actions, thoughts, and emotions to adapt to a system that is not trauma-informed, (d) being believed/validated, and (e) managing post-separation family life as helpful. Participants also reported (f) barriers to navigating family law proceedings; a few expressed nothing helped.

FINDINGS support a trauma-informed, network-oriented approach to supporting family court-involved survivor mothers.

Language: en

Keywords

intimate partner violence; domestic violence; child custody; family court