Women Who Leave Abusers More Likely To Report Threats To Take Children

Mothers who separate from an abusive partner are up to four times more likely to report threats that involve taking or harming their children than those who stay in an abusive relationship, according to a recent study.

"When we look at the separation process, we know that women are at an increased risk of violence and sexual assault," said Brittany Hayes, Assistant Professor at the College of Criminal Justice, in a news release. "But we need to keep an eye out for other forms of abusive behavior that are not as obvious."

During the study, researchers examined 339 abused mothers from the Chicago Women Health Risk Study, which surveyed over 700 women who used health care services at a Chicago area clinic over a 10-month period.

Findings showed that close to one-quarter of abusers threatened to take the children away from their mothers and 8 percent threatened to harm the children.

The study findings push on the importance of screening for child abuse that goes beyond physical violence. The researchers point out that abusers will oftentimes use threats against the children in attempts to further control victims. Therefore, child custody workers should screen controlling behaviors that pre-date separation and that have been found to be a causative factor in victimization.

"There is still much work that needs to be done on improving services for those involved in a child custody case where there is a history of intimate partner violence," Hayes said.

More information regarding the findings can be seen here. 

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