COVID-19-induced surge in the severity of gender-based violence might increase the risk for acquired brain injuries

Intimate partner violence, substance use, and health comorbidities among women: A narrative review

Exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV), including physical, sexual, and psychological violence, aggression, and/or stalking, impacts overall health and can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Substance misuse is common among individuals exposed to IPV, and IPV-exposed women (IPV-EW) are at-risk for transitioning from substance misuse to substance use disorder (SUD) and demonstrate greater SUD symptom severity; this too can have lasting mental and physical health consequences. Moreover, brain injury is highly prevalent in IPV-EW and is also associated with risk of substance misuse and SUD. Substance misuse, mental health diagnoses, and brain injury, which are highly comorbid, can increase risk of revictimization. Determining the interaction between these factors on the health outcomes and quality of life of IPV-EW remains a critical need. This narrative review uses a multidisciplinary perspective to foster further discussion and research in this area by examining how substance use patterns can cloud identification of and treatment for brain injury and IPV. We draw on past research and the knowledge of our multidisciplinary team of researchers to provide recommendations to facilitate access to resources and treatment strategies and highlight intervention strategies capable of addressing the varied and complex needs of IPV-EW.

Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence

The aim of this topical issue on Brain Injury (BI) and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is to address a long neglected gap in research, education and practice in both the IPV and BI literature. The need for practitioners, decision-policy makers and affected women to be aware of the co-occurrence of IPV and BI has only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. BI in this issue includes traumatic brain injury and also potential hypoxic ischemic brain injuries from strangulation assaults. This novel issue includes a broad range of contributions led by authors from the US, Canada and Australia using a variety of methodologies. Topics covered improve our understanding characteristics and outcomes of non-fatal strangulation and neurobehavioral symptoms in both survivors and perpetrators. New data on neuroimaging correlates of IPV related BI is presented as well as prevalence of IPV and BI in diverse contexts. This collection also addresses the impact of IPV in both service users and providers during the COVID-19 pandemic and reports on an emergency summit from a diverse set of stakeholders from a national IPV-TBI knowledge the practice network. Further, this issue highlights the impact of a promising health advocacy intervention that offers tools that can be downloaded and provides information about a newly formed Partner Inflicted Task Force. We are optimistic that the papers in this issue will further the field and prepare the way for additional research that will expand knowledge of IPV-related BI to other understudied groups yet to be examined.