Intimate Partner Violence & Brain Injury
75% of women with a history of intimate partner violence (IPV) sustain at least one partner-related brain injury (BI). The importance of early intervention, awareness among first responders, available tools of assessment, and the future direction of research is vital to addressing this issue and providing support for women.
Resources:
- Abused & Brain Injured is an online tool kit for frontline workers, survivors, and supporters of women who have experienced Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury: http://www.abitoolkit.ca/
- Women’s Voices: Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury
- The Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury 2019
- The Cridge Centre provided cross-training for our BI and IPV staff. Here are the slides from that day:
- According to the Training Institute for Strangulation Prevention (San Diego, California), 30-70% of women who experience domestic violence have been strangled. Strangulation leads to underlying brain damage due to a lack of oxygen. Read more here.
- Watch a video about revolutionary work being done by researchers and doctors at the Phoenix-based Barrow Neurological Institute to help domestic violence victims and raise awareness.
- Watch a video about how brain injury affects the lives of domestic violence survivors.
- 1 in 3 women worldwide will experience domestic violence in their lifetime. While cuts and broken bones get treated, the connection between intimate partner violence and traumatic brain injury is just beginning to come out of the shadows. Repeated blows to the head or face and strangulation can lead to a host of debilitating symptoms: difficulty concentrating, memory loss, trouble with vision or hearing, anxiety, depression and long-term neurological effects, with survivors not getting the support and services they need. It is a significant public health crisis that is being vastly overlooked. Watch a video by CBC Radio Canada.
For more information about IPV & BI as well as The Cridge Centre’s initiatives, please contact Measha Gallagher at mgallagher@cridge.org or 778-430-0730
