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Post-Separation Abuse of Women and their Children: Boundary-Setting and Family Court Utilization among Victimized Mothers

  • INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE RESEARCH
  • Published:
Journal of Family Violence Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 17 October 2013

Abstract

Continued abuse of themselves and their children is a concern for many mothers leaving intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetrating husbands. This research examines women’s responses to abuse committed by ex-husbands with whom they had undergone custody disputes. In-depth, qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 mothers who had divorced IPV-perpetrating husbands between 1 and 3 years prior. Participants were located through publicly available family court divorce records and interviews were examined using analytic induction. Women’s strategies to protect themselves and their children from abuse involved setting boundaries to govern their interactions with ex-husbands. Mothers often turned to family court for assistance in setting boundaries to keep children safe, but found that family court did not respond in ways they believed protected their children. Conversely, when women turned to the justice system for restraining orders or called the police for help against IPV, they generally found the justice system responsive.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 540 Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    April M. Zeoli

  2. Psychology Department, Michigan State University, 130 Psychology Building, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Echo A. Rivera & Cris M. Sullivan

  3. School of Social Work, Michigan State University, 110 Baker Hall, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Sheryl Kubiak

Authors
  1. April M. Zeoli
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  2. Echo A. Rivera
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  3. Cris M. Sullivan
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  4. Sheryl Kubiak
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to April M. Zeoli.

Appendix A

Appendix A

Prompts used to assess intimate partner violence before and after separation:

  • You mentioned on the phone that your ex-husband was controlling or violent. If you don’t mind, could you please describe some of his controlling or violent behaviors, or reasons why you feared for your safety?

  • Did he ever use physical force against you? In other words, did he ever hit, slap, kick, punch, shove or otherwise physically hurt you?

  • Were there other things that he did, actions that did not physically hurt you, that made you fear for your safety?

Prompts used to assess women’s perceptions of whether family court supported their efforts to gain safety for themselves and children:

  • Tell me about what happened during the court case, including your perceptions of the process.

  • Were any specific safety aarrangements made for you during the court process and did these arrangements make you feel safer?

  • Do you feel like the process you went through was reasonable given concerns for your safety?

  • If you told any court official about abuse, what was the reaction of the court official? Were your concerns taken seriously, documented, and followed up on?

  • What factors do you think [court personnel] took into account in making the final custody decision?

  • Do you feel like you were listened to and that your safety and the safety of your child/ren were taken into account in the court process and custody decision?

  • Was your or your child/ren’s safety addressed during the court case?

Prompts used to assess violence and women’s responses to violence after separation and divorce:

  • Could you tell me how custody and visitations are going so far?

  • Have you ever feared for your or your child’s safety because of your ex-husband?

  • Has your ex-husband threatened you or harmed you during visitation or exchanges?

    • [If yes] How? What have you been able to do to try to stop this from happening in the future?

  • Has your ex-husband threatened or harmed your child/ren during his time with them or exchanges?

    • [If yes] How? What have you been able to do to try to stop this from happening in the future?

  • How safe do you believe your children are during their time with their father?

  • Since the relationship ended, have you had to call the police because of your ex-husband?

  • In order to feel safer, some women get a restraining order. Do you currently have a restraining order?

    • [If yes] Have you had a restraining order in the past? Has he ever violated the order? Do you feel safer, less safe, or about the same since you took out the restraining order?

  • Have your children been emotionally harmed during time spent with their father or exchanges?

    • [If yes] How? Have you been able to do anything to try to stop this from happening in the future?

  • How concerned are you, if at all, that your ex-husband will threaten or harm your child/ren in the future? Why do you say that?

  • Have you heard of or are you aware of any instances where he used drugs/alcohol in the presence of your child/ren (before, during, or after separation)?

    • [If yes] How? Have you been able to do anything to stop this from happening in the future?

  • Do you have any ongoing fear or concerns for your own safety due to contact with your ex-husband?

  • Do you have any ongoing fear or concerns for your child/ren’s safety due to contact with their father?

  • Have you or your children gone anywhere for help regarding the situation between you and your ex-husband (before, during, or after separation)?

    • [If yes] Where? How helpful have these services been? What problems, if any, did you encounter?

  • Do you feel like your safety concerns are being met or acknowledged by the court? Why do you say that?

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Zeoli, A.M., Rivera, E.A., Sullivan, C.M. et al. Post-Separation Abuse of Women and their Children: Boundary-Setting and Family Court Utilization among Victimized Mothers. J Fam Viol 28, 547–560 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-013-9528-7

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