Coercive Control and the Pandemic

Research is emerging that coronavirus measures have fostered an environment where perpetrators use of coercive controlling behaviour has flourished. This post will examine how this type of abuse can be recognised, the effects this has on children and the implications for child contact and safety planning.

Coercive control flourishing in the pandemic

Early research into the effects of the pandemic on domestic abuse is showing that restrictions used to minimise the spread of the virus have reinforced environments that aid the behaviours used by perpetrators to exert power and psychological harm against a partner. We are seeing from this research, as well as evidence in our own case referrals, that abusers are using the lockdown to increase their control over victims, escalate abuse and use the pandemic as a tool for continuing abuse within the family.

The Women's Aid's survivor surveys,* completed during the first lockdown in the UK, gave us information directly from victims about the abuse they are suffering throughout the pandemic. 72% of respondents said their abuser had more control over their life since the pandemic and 67% said that their abuser was using the pandemic as part of their abuse with 10% saying the household was being forced to live under unnecessarily strict measures.

An online survey in Spain in May-June 2020** found a significant 23% increase in the general level of domestic abuse, largely driven by an increase in sexual and psychological types of abuse. The findings indicated that the largest effects occurred when both members of the couple were locked down together (14–16%) and when both partners were suffering from economic stress (25–33%). The increase in domestic violence was also higher among couples with children, particularly when the relative position of the man worsened.

Recognising coercive control

Domestic abuse does not always include physical violence, perpetrators can also seek to maintain dominance over their partner through psychological abuse and control. This type of abuse, coercive control, is a criminal offence in the UK and describes a pattern of behaviour by an abuser to harm, punish or frighten their victim. Studies have found that 95 out of 100 domestic abuse survivors reported experiencing coercive control and women are far more likely than men to be victims of abuse that involves ongoing degradation and frightening threats.

A pattern of coercive controlling behaviour against a victim can include:

• isolating them from family and friends,

• monitoring communications,

• dictating how they spend their time,

• controlling the finances,

• making unreasonable demands,

• threatening and intimidating them,

• controlling their appearance,

• destroying property,

• restricting daily activities,

• degrading and belittling them,

• gas-lighting.

To determine whether coercive control is being used in a relationship and to gain an understanding of how children are being affected by controlling behaviours, children and victims can be asked whether there are restrictions placed on their movements or activities (such as extra-curricular school activities), whether there are things they do or do not do for fear of the perpetrator's reaction and if they are able to engage freely with family and friends.

Caution should be taken when considering what is being said by perpetrators who exhibit controlling behaviours as they often create a plausible charming persona, making it even more difficult for victims who fear they will not be believed.

For those families living in a home where coercive controlling behaviours are being used, it is important that a safety plan is in place that will specifically address this type of abuse. For our full guidance on coercive control management and safety planning please visit our post Coercive Control: Management and safety planning for social workers.

The effects of coercive control on children

When studying the effects of coercive control on children, it is increasingly acknowledged that children are often trapped in the perpetrators' regimes of coercive control.

Children living in this environment can find that they are prevented from living a full and happy life as they are restricted from spending time with their mothers, wider family members and other children.

Child contact provides an opportunity for coercive controlling parents to continue their abuse of children and ex‐partners. When looking at the appropriateness of child contact, the safety of the children from all types of abuse should always be the primary concern. Keep in mind that when looking at the risk that a perpetrator poses to their victim, past behaviour is the most reliable indicator of future behaviour.

Further information on the effects of children can be found in our post Coercive Control: Recognising the Effects on Children

Safety planning for the pandemic

For our full guidance on coercive control management and safety planning please visit our post Coercive Control: Management and safety planning for social workers.

Detailed guidance for social workers on how to complete safety planning with families can be found in our post How to complete safety planning with families. The Coronavirus guidance section of this website gives further assistance on how to help families living with domestic abuse, including; what can be done to help families living in isolation with an abuser and completing emergency safety planning with perpetrators. This section also gives up to date information on how DV-ACT assessments are used to safeguard children in care proceedings.

DV-ACT experts are able to complete assessments and treatment programmes with victims and/or perpetrators for cases that are purely concerned with coercive control regardless of the status of the case. Assessments will examine the use of control used in the relationship and the impact of this on the children and victim, with a risk management plan for each member of the family. DV-ACT can also deliver focused and specialised treatment programmes for both victims and perpetrators.

References and resources

*Womens Aid COVID-19 survey - The impact of Covid-19 on survivors: findings from Women’s Aid’s initial Survivor Survey and A Perfect Storm – The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on domestic abuse survivors and the services supporting them.

** Arenas-Arroyo, E., Fernandez-Kranz, D., Nollenberger, N. (2021). Intimate partner violence under forced cohabitation and economic stress: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic,

- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0047272720302140

Katz, E., Nikupeteri, A., and Laitinen, M. (2020) When Coercive Control Continues to Harm Children: Post‐Separation Fathering, Stalking and Domestic Violence - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/showCitFormats?doi=10.1002%2Fcar.2611

UK government - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/domestic-abuse-how-to-get-help

Womens Aid Coronavirus safety advice for survivors - https://www.womensaid.org.uk/covid-19-coronavirus-safety-advice-for-survivors/

NSPCC - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-you-can-do/

Helplines are available in the UK as follows:

National Domestic Violence Helpline – 0808 2000 247

The Men’s Advice Line, for male domestic abuse survivors – 0808 801 0327

Respect phoneline for perpetrators of domestic abuse - 0808 8024040

Childline - 0800 1111 you can also go to https://www.childline.org.uk/get-support/

NSPCC (Monday to Friday 8am – 10pm or 9am – 6pm at the weekends) - 0808 800 5000 or Contact counsellors 24 hours a day by email or online reporting form help@nspcc.org.uk

Online community support - With Abuse Talk you can join the discussion on domestic abuse through a weekly Twitter Chat every Wednesday 8-9pm GMT www.twitter.com/abusetalkonline there is also a forum https://jennifergilmour.com/community/ which is available 24/7 and even houses a solicitor who will answer questions and queries for no charge, and a podcast which delivers a series of interviews with those that work in the domestic abuse sector. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and more.

About us

DV-ACT are a team of domestic abuse experts, available throughout the UK, who provide assessments, programmes, consultancy and training to local authorities and the family courts. Our experts have decades of experience working directly with domestic abuse perpetrators and victims, as specialist assessors and as expert witnesses in the family courts.

​DV-ACT was formed with the aim of using our expertise to help safeguard children from abuse, this is at the heart of everything that we do. To read more about us please visit our post - Who are DV-ACT?