Traumatic Brain Injury in Intimate Partner Violence

Purposeof review: In this article, we explore the current literature on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and evaluate the barriers to studying this vulnerable population.

Recent findings: Research on TBI and IPV is limited by multiple factors including mistrust of the healthcare system by survivors, lack of awareness by community advocates, and insufficient funding by public entities. As such, most investigations are small population, retrospective, and qualitative. Quantitative research addressing the scope of TBI in IPV found reported rates ranging from 19 to 100% of survivors experiencing neurological injury at the hands of a violent partner. The principals of trauma-informed healthcare should guide both neurological care for survivors as well as future studies on TBI and IPV, with an emphasis on community-based participatory research.