Abstract Following parental separation, child custody decisions continue to be made on the basis of the discretionary best interests of the child. The current study explored mothers and fathers (N = 40) in family violence, or high conflict past two years post separation, and their experiences within the Australian family law system. A thematic analysis was conducted on the interviews of separated mothers and fathers. Results revealed that the experience of engaging with the Australian family law system caused considerable anxiety and distress for these separated parents. Principal themes related to: (a) gendered narratives; (b) parents’ concerns not been taken seriously; (c) perceived inadequacies in knowledge or competence of experts and decision makers in relation to family violence; and (d) coercion from some professionals within the family law system. These cumulative experiences tentatively pointed to an aftermath of long-term emotional and psychological trauma, not only for separated mothers and fathers, but also children in their care.

中文翻译：

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解决分居后的家庭暴力——来自澳大利亚的父母的经历

摘要 在父母分居之后，儿童监护权的决定继续根据儿童的自由裁量权做出。当前的研究探讨了家庭暴力中的父母（N = 40），或分居后两年内的激烈冲突，以及他们在澳大利亚家庭法系统中的经历。对失散的母亲和父亲的访谈进行了专题分析。结果显示，与澳大利亚家庭法系统打交道的经历给这些分居的父母带来了相当大的焦虑和痛苦。主要主题涉及： (a) 性别叙事；(b) 父母的关注没有得到重视；(c) 认为专家和决策者在家庭暴力方面的知识或能力不足；(d) 来自家庭法系统内某些专业人士的胁迫。这些累积的经历初步表明了长期情感和心理创伤的后果，不仅是对失散的父母，还有他们照顾的孩子。