Inhibition and incongruence: mother child play in the context of domestic abuse

ABSTRACT There is a considerable body of literature exploring both domestic abuse and play, yet only minimal research linking these factors. This study set out to investigate how experiencing domestic abuse affects play between mothers and children and what might be the implications of this for practitioners. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted via videoconference with three cisgender white-British mothers aged 45–50 with children who had grown up in households where there was domestic abuse. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. All the mothers valued play but in the context of domestic abuse play and playfulness were inhibited. The research suggests that it is useful for practitioners to think of domestic abuse as a cause of play deprivation and that for clients who have experienced domestic abuse there may be value in taking work into the outdoors. The research also suggested the potential for using a play history as an assessment tool. Follow-up studies to gather children’s perspectives would be useful.