TY - JOUR
T1 - False Allegations of Domestic Violence
T2 - A Qualitative Analysis of Ex-Partners’ Narratives
AU - Avieli, Hila
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2022/11
Y1 - 2022/11
N2 - False allegation of violence and abuse is an under-recognized problem in custody disputes and divorce cases. However, only a handful of studies have investigated false allegations of domestic violence as a phenomenon in itself. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of individuals (male and female), who were recognized as falsely accused of domestic violence. An interpretive phenomenological analysis approach was utilized to analyze interviews conducted with 19 false allegation victims. Participants' interviews revealed three superordinate themes: (1) "I was the victim in this relationship:" False allegation as a form of lifelong intimate partner violence; (2) "I felt everything crashing down on me:" False allegation as a traumatic event; (3) "This battle has brought me to my knees:" A series of losses following false allegations. The findings may provide some qualitative insights into the experience of false allegation and its possible connection to coercive control in the context of partners' conflictual relationships. It is important for professionals to acknowledge false allegations as abusive tactics used within domestic violence situations as they cause considerable pain to the individuals involved.
AB - False allegation of violence and abuse is an under-recognized problem in custody disputes and divorce cases. However, only a handful of studies have investigated false allegations of domestic violence as a phenomenon in itself. Thus, the aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of individuals (male and female), who were recognized as falsely accused of domestic violence. An interpretive phenomenological analysis approach was utilized to analyze interviews conducted with 19 false allegation victims. Participants' interviews revealed three superordinate themes: (1) "I was the victim in this relationship:" False allegation as a form of lifelong intimate partner violence; (2) "I felt everything crashing down on me:" False allegation as a traumatic event; (3) "This battle has brought me to my knees:" A series of losses following false allegations. The findings may provide some qualitative insights into the experience of false allegation and its possible connection to coercive control in the context of partners' conflictual relationships. It is important for professionals to acknowledge false allegations as abusive tactics used within domestic violence situations as they cause considerable pain to the individuals involved.
KW - Coercive control
KW - Domestic violence
KW - False allegations
KW - Qualitative research
KW - Subjective narratives
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85118858836&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s10896-021-00342-w
DO - 10.1007/s10896-021-00342-w
M3 - ???researchoutput.researchoutputtypes.contributiontojournal.article???
AN - SCOPUS:85118858836
SN - 0885-7482
VL - 37
SP - 1391
EP - 1403
JO - Journal of Family Violence
JF - Journal of Family Violence
IS - 8
ER -