Research
Dr. Doychak’s research interests are largely related to the criminalization of victimhood. She conducts research in the area of gender-based violence, complex trauma, and interpersonal abuse dynamics. Her research aims to improve the treatment of and outcomes for victim-survivors in the criminal legal system. ​She is a mixed-method scholar and considers psychological—as well as broader sociocultural and political—factors in research development, design, and interpretation.
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Over the last ten years, she has focused on coercive control and what she argues is one of the potential consequences of this abuse dynamic: a trauma-coerced attachment marked by dissociative splits in consciousness, identity, and relational and cognitive capacities. In particular, she has developed and examined trauma-coerced attachment in the context of commercial sex exploitation, intimate partner violence, and cults. Her research has been used in the legal field by expert witnesses and DOJs and has been cited in amici curiae and case law.
Current projects include examining coercive control and/or trauma-coerced attachment in IPV, LGBTQ+ populations, and cults.
Select Publications
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​Doychak, K. & Raghavan, C. (in press). Coercive control in commercial sexual exploitation: Examining prevalence and the pros and cons of semi-structured interviews vs. Likert-scale self-reports. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
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Raghavan, C. & Doychak, K. (2025). Assessing coercive control in forensic settings: A review of the development and application of the Brief Interview of Coercive Control (BICC). Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice.
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Doychak, K. & Raghavan, C. (2023). Trauma-Coerced Attachment: Developing DSM-5’s Dissociative Disorder “Identity Disturbance due to Prolonged and Intense Coercive Persuasion.” European Journal of Trauma and Dissociation.
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Jeglic, E., Calkins, C., Kaylor, L., Margeotes, K., Doychak, K., Blasko, B., Chesin, M., Panza, N. (2022). The nature and scope of educator misconduct in K-12. Sexual Abuse.
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Doychak, K. & Raghavan, C. (2021). Queering forensic psychology: What intimate partner violence and sex trafficking can tell us about inclusivity. In K. L. Nadal & M. Scharrón-del Río (Eds.). Queer Psychology. Springer Publishing.
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Unger, L., Doychak, K., & Raghavan, C. (2021). Isolation and support dynamics among women in a pimp-based commercial sex ring. Journal of Human Trafficking.
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Pomerantz, J., Cohen, S., Doychak, K., & Raghavan, C. (2021). Linguistic indicators of coercive control in sex trafficking narratives. Violence and Gender.
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Hagan, E., Raghavan, C., & Doychak, K. (2019). Functional isolation: Understanding isolation in trafficking survivors. Sexual Abuse.
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Doychak, K. & Raghavan, C. (2018). “No voice or vote:” Trauma-coerced attachment in victims of sex trafficking. Journal of Human Trafficking.
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Raghavan, C., & Doychak, K. (2015). Trauma-coerced bonding and victims of sex-trafficking: Where do we go from here? International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience.
Talks & Media
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European Society for Trauma and Dissociation | Trauma-coerced attachment: Diagnosis, challenges, and therapy considerations
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Fox 5 News | Street Soldiers on Location | Diddy on Trial: Summary witnesses, Diddy potentially taking the stand
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