“We end up in positions where we feel comfortable. They might be toxic and abusive relationships because that’s what we were in as children,” says Sarah Irwin.

Sarah knows this experience firsthand.

The 40-year-old accredited national mediator and communication coach married at 19 and experienced domestic violence. But at the time, she didn’t recognise the warning signs. The relationship felt familiar, reflecting patterns she had grown up in.

It was only later, through studying psychology, that she began to recognise those patterns.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, one in eight Australian adults experienced violence towards a parent by a partner before the age of 15.

For some, the effects of childhood exposure to violence can carry into adult relationships, influencing what they recognise as normal or acceptable.

For others, it is an opportunity to embark on a journey toward the relationship they deserve, instead of becoming trapped in the cycle they were shown.