Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury Screening
Shireen S. Rajaram, Peggy Reisher, Matthew Garlinghouse, Kathy S. Chiou, Kate D. Higgins, Moses New‐Aaron, Tanushree Ojha, Lynette M. Smith
Abstract
The study examined rates of possible brain injury among survivors of intimate partner violence. Of the 171 women screened, 91% indicated they had been hit in the head or strangled, and 31% reported it happened more than six times in their life. Only 35% of women who were hit in the head or strangled received medical treatment, and 64% reported losing consciousness or experienced a period of being dazed and confused. Organizations serving intimate partner violence survivors should routinely screen survivors for brain injury so they can obtain timely referrals for neurorehabilitation services to improve their quality of life.