Glossary

Term · Support, Home, and Village

coercive control

Also: controlling behavior, IPV

A repeated pattern of control by a partner, such as isolation, monitoring, money control, or threats. It can happen with or without physical violence, and help is available.

In plain words

Coercive control is a pattern of behavior in which one partner controls another over time. It can look like cutting a person off from friends and family, tracking where she goes, controlling money, or making threats. It can continue or grow during pregnancy and after birth. Conflict between partners is common and is not the same thing. is one form, such as sabotaging birth control or pressuring someone to continue or end a pregnancy. If something in this description fits your life, you are not alone. The National Hotline can be reached at 1-800-799-7233, day or night, and can talk through options with you.

The deeper version

Coercive control is a pattern of domineering, isolating, and degrading behaviors that restricts a person's autonomy, as described by Stark and by subsequent work on intimate partner violence. In the perinatal period, intimate partner violence is associated with higher rates of depression, preterm birth, and homicide, and ACOG classifies reproductive coercion as a form of intimate partner violence (Committee Opinion 554, 2013), and Committee Opinion 518 (2012) addresses screening. Screening is recommended at the first prenatal visit and at postpartum visits using validated instruments and private conversation. Distinctions in practice include conflict versus coercive control, partner distress versus partner depression, and estrangement versus fear as reasons a mother does not involve a partner. The main controversy is how to assess risk safely without escalating it.

Where it comes up

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Sources

  • American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Committee Opinion No. 518: Intimate partner violence, 2012, reaffirmed
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline — Information on coercive control and safety planning

The Mothership Topic Wiki is general information for mothers and the people who care for them. It is not medical, legal, or mental-health advice and does not create a provider relationship. Experiences posted by members are their own. In an emergency call 911. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself, call or text 988.