title: Secondary Victimization of Abused Mothers by Family Court Mediators.
abstract: Family court often assists divorcing parties in establishing custody arrangements. Mediation is commonly used for custody negotiation; however, its applicability for cases involving intimate partner abuse (IPA) is debated. This study was designed to gain an in-depth understanding of abused mothers' court mediation experiences and how those experiences impact future court help-seeking when the fathers of their children have been abusive to them. Most women experienced secondary victimization during mediation, which had a negative impact on their willingness to use the court in the future. Policy recommendations include screening for IPA, providing separate mediation sessions, and improving court mediators' training.
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Echo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Rivera
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Cris M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Sullivan
authors.affiliation: Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: April M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Zeoli
keywords: child custody; domestic violence; intimate partner violence; legal issues; qualitative research; quantitative research; women