Survey of depressive symptomatology in brain injury resulting from intimate partner violence

Brain Inj. 2023 Jan 28;37(2):159-169. doi: 10.1080/02699052.2022.2158220. Epub 2022 Dec 22.

Abstract

Objective: A high prevalence of depression exists in specific sub-samples of survivors of brain injury (BI) sustained from intimate partner violence (IPV). However, the experience of depression by survivors of IPV-related BI from general civilian populations remains unclear. This study documents the symptom profile of depression reported by individuals who screened positive for sustaining an IPV-related BI.

Methods: 36 individuals who screened positive for possible IPV-related BI completed the Beck Depression Inventory-2nd Edition (BDI-II). Subscales characterizing the nature of the symptoms were created. Frequency and descriptive statistics were calculated for item responses on the BDI-II. Participants were also assigned to high or low symptom severity groups to examine between-group differences.

Results: Participants endorsed experiencing somatic symptoms more severely than self-evaluative and affective symptoms. Additionally, self-evaluative and cognitive symptoms correlated with total BDI-II scores for the high symptom severity group but not for the low symptom severity group.

Conclusions: The findings highlight somatic symptoms of depression, in particular as a common experience among survivors of IPV-related BI. Further, self-evaluative and cognitive symptoms may be more sensitive in detecting depression after IPV-related BI. These results may aid in the development of guidelines to better diagnose and treat depression in IPV-related BI.

Keywords: Intimate partner violence; brain injury; depression; head trauma; mental health.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Brain Injuries*
  • Depression / psychology
  • Humans
  • Intimate Partner Violence* / psychology
  • Medically Unexplained Symptoms*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires