On the Intersection of Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence
On the Intersection of Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence
THE PROBLEM
Each year in Canada approximately 276,000 women become victims of intimate partner violence (IPV). Quite often the violence targets the head, is repeated over months to years, and thereby leads to chronic symptoms which are consistent with TBI. Despite this context, community organizations which provide refuge for survivors of IPV typically do not screen for TBI or provide support and services which take TBI into account. Thus, our group has recently undertaken a project designed to better understand the intersection of TBI and IPV. In addition, using an integrated knowledge translation (iKT) approach, we are identifying current gaps in knowledge and awareness of TBI in IPV in front-line staff and hope to use this information to inform the initial development of TBI-informed tools and resources so that community organizations working in this sector can better serve their clients.
STUDY HYPOTHESIS AND OBJECTIVES
The long-term objective of this project is to characterize TBI in survivors of IPV and use an iKT approach to disseminate this information to community organizations who serve survivors of IPV. We hypothesize that survivors of IPV who report a plausible mechanism for one or more recent or remote TBIs (e.g., a history of head impacts or episodes of non-fatal strangulation) will show more evidence of brain dysfunction and neuropathology than survivors of IPV who have not had such experiences.
METHODS
This project entails a correlational design with participants who have experienced at least one episode of IPV. Participants will complete a series of clinical assessments characterizing potential brain injury mechanisms, psychopathological comorbid factors (e.g., PTSD, anxiety, depression, etc.) along with measures of neurocognitive function, and have a blood sample taken to examine blood biomarkers associated with TBI.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The latest focus of our group is to characterize blood biomarkers associated with TBI at the acute (within 1-2 weeks) and subacute (within 6 weeks) stages after an IPV episode resulting in a possible TBI. Initial results demonstrate that several biomarkers linked to TBI in other populations also are increased in IPV survivors.
POTENTIAL SIGNIFICANCE
Objectively characterizing the intersection of TBI and IPV and better understanding the barriers and facilitators to providing TBI-informed supports and services at community organizations serving this vulnerable population will have a significant impact on the long-term health of IPV survivors.
TIMELINES
Data collection has been underway over the last 8 years. Grant support has been obtained from CIHR, the Ministry of Women and Gender Equality, the Public Health Agency of Canada, the New Frontiers in Research Fund, the US Department of Defence, and Brain Canada. We have a growing body of papers published on the topic with many more in progress.