Research and Policy

Coercive control remained unnamed in law — and largely invisible in clinical practice — for most of its history. The legal reform of the past decade represents a global shift in how states understand and respond to intimate partner violence, and that shift is still unfolding. This section covers the research, data, and policy developments that are driving — and in some cases failing to drive — meaningful change.

Narcissistic Abuse Rehab’s research contributions in this space include the Global Coercive Control Legislation Index — established in 2020 and the first systematic index of its kind on the web — which tracks the criminalization of coercive control worldwide, from standalone legislation to Istanbul Convention ratifications. The index has been cited in peer-reviewed publications including the Southern Illinois University Law Journal and the University of Agder, and is used as a primary reference by researchers, advocates, and policymakers internationally.

Content in this section covers emerging research on coercive control, policy analysis, legislative developments, and the intersection of evidence and advocacy. All research is created and maintained by Manya Wakefield, a coercive trauma specialist and independent researcher whose work has been cited in peer-reviewed law journals and academic publications across multiple countries.