Long Journeys Toward Freedom: The Relationship Between Coercive Control and Space for Action-Measurement and Emerging Evidence.

Abstract

We report on the development of, and findings from, two scales measuring coercive control and space for action over a period of 3 years in a sample of 100 women who had accessed domestic violence services. We present statistical evidence to show a significant correlation between coercive control and space for action. However, dealing with violence is not a linear process, and support needs to extend beyond being enabled to separate. The scales advance measurement of women's experience of coercive control and, through the space for action scale, document their ability to restore agency and freedom in contexts of relative safety.