%0 Journal Article
%T Prevalence and social inequality in experiences of domestic abuse among mothers of young children: a study using national survey data from Scotland
%J Journal of interpersonal violence
%D 2021
%A Devaney, John
%A Morrison, Fiona
%A Skafida, Valeria
%V ePub
%N ePub
%P ePub-ePub
%X Domestic abuse is a pernicious societal issue that has both short- and long-term consequences for those who are victimized. Research points to motherhood being  linked to women's victimization, with pregnancy being a particular point of risk. Across UK jurisdictions, new legislation aims to extend the criminalization of  domestic abuse to include coercive control. Less clear is the relationship between  mothers' victimization of different "types" of abuse and other factors such as age,  socioeconomic status, and level of education. The article makes an original  contribution to knowledge by addressing these limitations of the existing  literature. Using nationally representative data from a Scottish longitudinal survey  (N = 3,633) into children's development this article investigates the social  stratification of mothers' exposure to different types of abuse, including coercive  control, physical abuse, and threats. Overall, 14% of mothers report experiencing  any type of domestic abuse since the birth of the study child (age 6), of which 7%  experienced physical abuse. Compared to mothers in the highest income households,  mothers in the lowest income quintile were far more likely to experience any form of  abuse (Logistic Regression, OR = 3.55), more likely to have experienced more types  of abuse and to have experienced these more often (OR = 5.54). Age had a protective  effect, with mothers aged 20 or younger at most risk of abuse (OR = 2.60 compared to  mothers aged 40+). Interaction effects between age and income suggested that an  intersectional lens may help explain the cumulative layers of difficulty which young  mothers on low incomes may find themselves in when it comes to abusive partners. The  pattern of social stratification remained the same when comparing different types of  abuse. Mothers of boys were more likely to experience abuse, and to experience more  types of abuse, more often. We reflect on how these findings could inform existing  policy interventions.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
%G en
%I SAGE Publishing
%@ 0886-2605
%U http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0886260520980392