Exposure to parental intimate partner violence (parental IPV) is a complex trauma. Research within social psychology establishes that identification with social groups impacts positively on how we appraise, respond to and recover from traumatic events. IPV is also a highly stigmatized social phenomenon and social isolation is a major factor for families affected by IPV, yet strong identification with the family group may act as a beneficial psychological resource to young people who grew up in homes affected by IPV. The current study, an online survey of 355 students (M age = 20, 70% female), investigated if a psychosocial process, specifically identification with the family, may influence the relationship between the predictor, exposure to parental IPV, and outcomes, global self-esteem and state anxiety. Mediation analysis suggests that identification with the family has a positive influence on the relationship between exposure to parental IPV and psychological outcomes; exposure to parental IPV results in reduced family identification, but when family identification is strong it results in both reduced anxiety and increased self-esteem for young people. The findings highlight the importance of having a strong sense of belonging to the extended family for young people who were exposed to parental IPV, thus has implications for prevention, intervention, and social policy.

Acknowledgments: We would like to thank members of the Centre for Social Issues Research for their valuable feedback on a previous draft.

The present study examined judges' constructions of the 'best interests of the child' in child custody and access arraignments where there were allegations of domestic violence within the context of an interview. Using interviews with six Irish District court judges a microstructural discourse analysis enabled the identification of socio-cultural discourses, scientific knowledge, and judges' own values beliefs and bias about custody arraignments in cases of domestic violence. Judges' discourses were shaped by an idealisation of the nuclear family unit which resulted in a pro-access philosophy (theme 1). The knowledge that domestic violence had occurred challenged this ideology and, to rhetorically manage this dilemma, judges' talk normalised, or trivialised abusive parents' behaviour, which rendered domestic violence irrelevant to child custody and access (theme 2). Mothers who alleged domestic violence when they disputed contact between fathers and their children were pathologised through talk (theme 3). It is recommended that systems be put in place, including judicial training, to facilitate judges in their decision making process in this highly discretionary and complex area of the law.

Few studies have investigated the role of disenfranchisement and denial of agency in women's sexual health. To address this, a cross-sectional study of disenfranchisement, control (general and reproductive control), and health was conducted in Ireland, where abortion is severely restricted. Multiple mediation models (N = 513 women) indicated that general but not reproductive control mediates the association between disenfranchisement and psychological well-being. Additionally, serial mediation shows disenfranchisement is associated with lower sense of control, which is linked to poorer well-being and risky sexual behaviour. Disenfranchisement arising from socio-political contexts may have important implications for women's sexual health.

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