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Abstract: 

Dr. Christine Cocchiola provides a summary of and commentary on Dr. Emma Katz’s book, “Coercive Control in Children and Mothers’ Lives.” Following up on the seminal work on coercive control produced by the late Dr. Evan Stark, this book addresses the mistaken perception that mothers who endure IPV are “failing to protect” their children. In fact, quite the opposite is true: protective mothers’ efforts to shield their children from witnessing or directly experiencing further abuse are routinely stymied by family court decision-making. The book discusses the myriad impacts of abuse upon children, emphasizing the importance of safety planning and of reinforcing children’s bonds with their nurturing mother and other safe adults. The author advocates for a paradigm shift in our conceptualization of DV that incorporates coercive control as a type of abuse that permeates the family system. Dr. Cocchiola’s review probes the book’s specific contribution to debunking myths that are central to legal doctrine—specifically that domestic violence amounts to mothers’ failure to protect children. The evidence is irrefutable of the harms inflicted onto children’s and mother’s lives, whether in the home with the abuser or living separately.

Keywords: Emma Katz; “Coercive Control in Children’s and Mothers’ Lives” (Oxford, 2022)

Affiliations:  1: Naugatuck Valley Community College.