Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries in Domestic Violence

By: Abigail Guevara

"Resilient, brave, strong, intelligent, and courageous" are just a few of the words that many people use to describe survivors of domestic violence. These descriptions can show up in a variety of ways, as everyone's story is unique, and how people internalize the trauma from domestic violence is a vastly different process from the way physical trauma can present itself with both immediate and long-term concerns. Amongst other bodily injuries that victims can have, it is critical to look into traumatic brain injuries (also known as TBIs) and their overlap with domestic violence. This is why we partner with medical professionals skilled in assessing for brain injury.

TBIs can stem from being hit on the head or face by an individual or an object. They can be caused by hitting the head or face against something as a result of being in a crash, being shoved, slammed, violently shaken, or falling, being near an explosion or blast, and strangulation. A history of potential or verified brain injuries from childhood, sports, military, previous domestic violence harm, etc., combined with recent head trauma can increase the risk of brain tissue degeneration resulting in fatigue, depression and mood changes, memory loss, confusion, aggression, impaired judgment, and difficulty with everyday tasks can lead to dementia and other chronic health conditions. Victims exposed to intimate partner violence are twice as likely to experience depression and nearly twice as likely to have alcohol use disorders compared to those who have not. Some may mistake traumatic brain injuries as a result of a person's physical, social, and mental health issues. Some symptoms would not initially warn or inform survivors of physical violence that there is a cause for concern with their behavior and emotional or cognitive struggles. The effects of intimate partner violence also do not decline with age; therefore, assumptions that past abuse would not be relevant to a client's current neurological state would be careless and incorrect.

Interventions to assist with TBI symptoms will vary depending on the symptoms and behaviors exhibited by each person. How a person is initially assessed (primary care, emergency hospitalization, substance abuse care) will also determine the next steps in determining a client's interventions concerning intimate partner violence resulting in a traumatic brain injury. It is critical to be proactive in cases where a TBI is highly probable and to get assessed by a medical professional for short and long-term care as soon as possible. As professionals in this field, we are responsible for working on intervention and prevention efforts. We must do all that we can to diminish such violence and prevent TBI cases as a result of domestic violence in the future. As a society, we need to continue to stay educated on the epidemic of TBI cases and take care of ourselves and others around us who could be at risk. We do this so that we can continue to see more survivors in our communities who exhibit the power to come out of domestic violence resilient, brave, strong, intelligent, and courageous. We are grateful for both our medical and law enforcement partners who have an awareness of this overlapping issue of brain injury and intimate partner violence.
 
Resources
Campbell, J. C., Anderson, J. C., McFadgion, A., Gill, J., Zink, E., Patch, M., Callwood, G., & Campbell, D. (2018). The effects of intimate partner violence and probable traumatic brain injury on central nervous system symptoms. Journal of Women’s Health, 27(6), 761–767. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2016.6311
Gilkerson, F. (2022, August 12). Understanding domestic violence as a cause of TBI. Brain Injury Association of America. https://biausa.org/public-affairs/media/domestic-violence-as-a-cause-of-tbi
Haag, H. (Lin), Jones, D., Joseph, T., & Colantonio, A. (2019). Battered and brain injured: Traumatic brain injury among women survivors of intimate partner violence—a scoping review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(4), 1270–1287. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838019850623
Monahan, K. (2018). Intimate partner violence and traumatic brain injury: A public health issue. Journal of Neurology & Neuromedicine, 3(3), 3–6. https://doi.org/10.29245/2572.942x/2018/3.1181

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