Research review: Coercive Control Victimisation

The studies sampled in this review by the Australian Institute for Family Studies provide important foundational insights about coercive control victimisation but contained limitations

These limitations were related to the relatively early stage of research on coercive control victimisation and the practical barriers associated with research in a complex area of human experience. Based on the review, we made the following observations about the state of evidence on coercive control victimisation in Australia.

There is a need for research specific to the Australian context. Only a small proportion of the sampled studies (3 out of 13; 23%) explored Australian experiences.

We currently know little about the unique experiences of:

  • Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

  • people with disability

  • LGBTQIA+ communities

  • culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities

  • people in older age groups (65+ years)

  • children and young people where there is coercive control between their parents

  • intersectional experiences across more than one of the above.