Navigating Services: A Scoping Review of Mothers' Experiences with Intimate Partner Violence and Social Systems in...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has significant social, clinical, and public health consequences, particularly for mothers, who must navigate complex social service systems that may expose them to stigma, financial instability, and punitive system-based risks-including child apprehension. This scoping review explores how mothers with histories of IPV navigate social systems. Following the Joanna Briggs Institute framework and Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool quality assessment criteria, 5 databases were searched, and 13 studies met the inclusion criteria of peer-reviewed, scholarly journal articles, written in English, and conducted in Canada or the United States. Analysis revealed: (a) retributive consequences of help-seeking for mothers, (b) distrust of social systems by mothers who experienced IPV, and (c) disproportionate maternal responsibilities within IPV and child welfare involvement. Findings highlight a disconnect between social system responses and the support mothers require, punitive policies that discourage mothers' help-seeking, and failure to address mothers' caregiving burdens. Addressing these issues through survivor-centered, trauma- and violence-informed care-based reforms can foster healing environments rather than perpetuate harm.