Coercive Control and its Impact on Children

Amid the recent progress in recognizing coercive control within an intimate relationship, a rarely mentioned victim is coming to light: children. A study to be published in the journal Clinical Psychological Science takes an in-depth look at the effects of coercive control on children, demonstrating how far these adverse impacts extend.

Coercive control, by definition, uses social, psychological, and technological means to monitor and track one's movements, restrict their activities, and place limitations on the person's autonomy. In most cases, it is a means of continuing abusive relationships without physical harm. Though this tactic has long been connected to untenable conditions for adults—and even risk of death—the particular consequences of this practice on children are especially severe. In most cases, children can be particularly vulnerable since they are mostly dependent on the abuser for safety and providing for their needs. This means that an abuser can have an amplified impact on the life of a child compared to an adult because, often, leaving the situation is not an option for the child affected.

For the study, an international team of researchers conducted interviews with over eight thousand participants aged 15 to 18 years old who were identified as being in coercive relationships with their partners or other family members. The surveyed participants were found to display higher levels of psychological distress when confronted with coercive control tactics such as verbal humiliation, minimal privacy, monitoring of whereabouts, and forbidding existing activities. Ominously, those distressed were reported to have lower overall self-esteem and increased difficulty in making decisions. With even higher erosions in mental health displayed in some cases.

These alarming characteristics are especially worrying in the midst of a child's growing years. A period during which a part of their identity may be shaped through relationship dynamics from their parents or partners that can heavily influence socialization into adulthood. Therefore, it becomes critical to try and end—or whatever way reduce—coercive control behavior for the safety and well-being of both adults and children.

Families have commonly been considered strongholds of support where children can build traditions and rely on various members for social and emotional growth. Nowadays though, children are increasingly more likely to experience conditions originally intended for married couples, creating sadly familiar systems for relational aggression for the family's next generation. This calls for creating awareness about coercive control and its dangers on children—with a call to discussion among authorities, informative campaigns targeted at educational institutions, and education in families.

It is true that removing oneself from a coercive relationship might entail difficult decisions that hinder personal wellbeing regardless of age. Therefore, investing in primary prevention initiatives as well as providing accessible channels of guidance and help to potential victims of coercive control seems paramount to reducing its harms. For children in these situations especially, finding networks of support outside the home has been linked to higher success rates when attempting to seek safety from the real threats it might represent.

This study reveals the detailed extent to which the pain of coercive control can range far into the future for its victims if not stopped soon enough. It is undeniable that maturity does not guarantee immunity from intimate violence and its consequences; thus, creating awareness through information campaigns is essential for providing adequate protection from social evils like coercive control. it is necessary to break cycles of pain inflicted in search of a safe environment for children across all spectrums of age and family structure.