“I’m glad we don’t have to see him anymore”: Mother-child interactions in the context of intimate partner violence

The long-term detrimental effects of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) on abused women and their children are well-documented. However, how IPV affects the mother-child relationship and its resistance to IPV have not received significant attention. Drawing on a strength-based feminist approach, this study focuses on the role that mother-child interactions play in an IPV context. Using grounded theory, a secondary data analysis on interviews with 11 abused mothers revealed different forms and patterns of exchanges between mothers and children, suggesting insights into the dynamics of mother-child interactions that reflect acts of resistance in an IPV context. A proposed conceptual model illustrates this process and suggests next steps for further delineating these connections.