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Coercive Control Victimisation: a Comprehensive Review of Related Abusive Behaviours, Risk Factors and Impacts

Tracks
Ballroom 2 - In-Person Only
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM

Overview

Dr Jasmine MacDonald, Dr Melissa Willoughby & Kylie Butler, Australian Institute of Family Studies


Presenter

Agenda Item Image
Kylie Butler
Senior Research Officer
Australian Institute of Family Studies

Coercive Control Victimisation: a Comprehensive Review of Related Abusive Behaviours, Risk Factors and Impacts

Abstract

Coercive control is a public health and safety issue in urgent need of response in Australia and globally. As the concept of coercive control has become better known and understood, policy and legal reforms related to coercive control response and prevention have attracted increasing debate and rapid change. Some jurisdictions across Australia have criminalised coercive control. Although, at the time of writing, there is not a consistent legislative response in Australia, the Commonwealth government has published National Principles to Address Coercive Control.

We will present the findings from a series of rapid literature reviews on coercive control and related abusive behaviours for the Child Family Community Australia information exchange (CFCA) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The CFCA team consulted practitioners, service leaders and researchers who are experts in domestic, family and sexual violence in the development of this work. We have developed evidence-based resources to inform practice, research and policy about coercive control victimisation, the ways that technology can be used to extend the perpetrators reach and violence against family animals to enact coercive control. By considering various aspects of coercive control alongside each other we provide a more holistic understanding of coercive control and its impacts. In each of the three pieces of work, we found negative mental health outcomes for victim-survivors.

Biography

Kylie Butler is a Senior Research Officer in the Child and Family Evidence and Evaluation (CFEE) team at AIFS. Kylie’s research focuses on issues affecting child and family wellbeing, including family and domestic violence, trauma-informed research and practice, nature play, and mental health. Prior to joining AIFS, Kylie completed 3 Masters degrees, including a Master of Social Policy (Melbourne University) and a Master of Philosophy (University of Newcastle) where her research focused on human-animal relationships/interactions, and colonialist ideologies in volunteer tourism.
Agenda Item Image
Dr Jasmine MacDonald
Research Fellow
Australian Institute of Family Studies

Coercive Control Victimisation: a Comprehensive Review of Related Abusive Behaviours, Risk Factors and Impacts

Abstract

Coercive control is a public health and safety issue in urgent need of response in Australia and globally. As the concept of coercive control has become better known and understood, policy and legal reforms related to coercive control response and prevention have attracted increasing debate and rapid change. Some jurisdictions across Australia have criminalised coercive control. Although, at the time of writing, there is not a consistent legislative response in Australia, the Commonwealth government has published National Principles to Address Coercive Control.

We will present the findings from a series of rapid literature reviews on coercive control and related abusive behaviours for the Child Family Community Australia information exchange (CFCA) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The CFCA team consulted practitioners, service leaders and researchers who are experts in domestic, family and sexual violence in the development of this work. We have developed evidence-based resources to inform practice, research and policy about coercive control victimisation, the ways that technology can be used to extend the perpetrators reach and violence against family animals to enact coercive control. By considering various aspects of coercive control alongside each other we provide a more holistic understanding of coercive control and its impacts. In each of the three pieces of work, we found negative mental health outcomes for victim-survivors.

Biography

Dr Jasmine B. MacDonald (BA/BSW(Hons), Ph.D.) is a Research Fellow at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. Jasmine has designed, conducted, and published in peer-review journals research focused on mental health, trauma exposure and trauma reactions. Jasmine methodological expertise includes literature reviews, evidence synthesis and knowledge translation.
Agenda Item Image
Dr Melissa Willoughby
Senior Research Officer
Australian Institute of Family Studies

Coercive Control Victimisation: a Comprehensive Review of Related Abusive Behaviours, Risk Factors and Impacts

Abstract

Coercive control is a public health and safety issue in urgent need of response in Australia and globally. As the concept of coercive control has become better known and understood, policy and legal reforms related to coercive control response and prevention have attracted increasing debate and rapid change. Some jurisdictions across Australia have criminalised coercive control. Although, at the time of writing, there is not a consistent legislative response in Australia, the Commonwealth government has published National Principles to Address Coercive Control.

We will present the findings from a series of rapid literature reviews on coercive control and related abusive behaviours for the Child Family Community Australia information exchange (CFCA) at the Australian Institute of Family Studies. The CFCA team consulted practitioners, service leaders and researchers who are experts in domestic, family and sexual violence in the development of this work. We have developed evidence-based resources to inform practice, research and policy about coercive control victimisation, the ways that technology can be used to extend the perpetrators reach and violence against family animals to enact coercive control. By considering various aspects of coercive control alongside each other we provide a more holistic understanding of coercive control and its impacts. In each of the three pieces of work, we found negative mental health outcomes for victim-survivors.

Biography

Biography not provided
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