UK victim-survivor experiences of intimate partner spiritual abuse and religious coercive control and implications for practice

Natasha Mulvihill*, Nadia Aghtaie, Andrea Matolcsi, Marianne Hester

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticle (Academic Journal)peer-review

3 Citations (Scopus)
289 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

This study extends existing scholarship on coercive control within an intimate relationship by exploring how some perpetrators use spiritual abuse as part of their control repertoire and how others harness belief and doctrine to exercise a totalising ‘religious coercive control’ over their victims. The analysis in this paper draws on two multi-faith datasets: secondary data analysis of 27 semi-structured interviews and primary data collected through an online anonymous survey eliciting 24 qualitative responses, supplemented by 4 follow-up interviews with victim-survivors. Thematic analysis demonstrates the experience and longer-term impact of coercive control on victim-survivors and the barriers to help-seeking, including complicity at familial, community and leadership levels. We articulate their recommendations for change within places of worship and the implications for criminal justice practitioners.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages18
JournalCriminology and Criminal Justice
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 21 Jul 2022

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article: Primary dataset and analysis funded by Oak Foundation Grant Number OFIL-20-205, and secondary dataset funded by ESRC Grant ES/M010090/1.

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2022.

Research Groups and Themes

  • SPS Centre for Gender and Violence Research
  • coercive control
  • faith
  • domestic abuse
  • religion
  • spiritual abuse

Keywords

  • coercive control
  • faith
  • domestic abuse
  • religion
  • spiritual abuse

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