Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence

1 Hour | 1 CE

This on-demand professional training program on Traumatic Brain Injury and Intimate Partner Violence is presented by Jerrod Brown, PhD.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) occurs when the brain is damaged by a blow or penetration from an external force. This could be the result of a range of events, including a car accident, falling and hitting one’s head, or being violently shaken or punched. As such, it is unsurprising that intimate partner violence (IPV) is a common cause of TBI in the United States and around the world. Unfortunately, IPV often persists over time with multiple incidents, which only exacerbates TBIs. For instance, exposure to multiple TBIs prior to proper healing can result in worse symptoms and lengthier recovery times. These symptoms can include cognitive deficits (e.g., executive functioning and memory), mental health issues (e.g., mood and anxiety disorders), self-harm and suicide, substance abuse, education, and employment issues, and a host of other challenges. To make matters worse, victims of IPV with TBI often go undiagnosed and do not receive adequate treatment. Even when properly diagnosed, research remains unclear on how treatment should be modified to account for the needs of these individuals. These shortcomings can likely be attributed, at least in part, to the fact that IPV-related TBI is not commonly addressed by advanced education and programs.

To address this essential need, this training introduces attendees to the links between intimate partner violence (IPV) and traumatic brain injury (TBI) by focusing on six key training objectives. First, this training systematically defines the constructs of IPV and TBI with a thorough review of their symptoms and red flag indicators. Second, attendees learn about how IPV can result in TBI along with the short- and long-term consequences of these issues. Third, this training highlight screening and Assessmenttechniques that have the potential to improve the identification of victims of IPV who may be suffering from TBI. For example, to prevent inaccurate diagnoses, any approach must account for the individual needs of clients, which can often include memory issues when TBI is present. Fourth, attendees learn about techniques and strategies that are most suitable for treating clients with IPV- and TBI-related issues. This may include incorporating a TBI-informed approach to treatment in domestic violence shelters. Fifth, this training explores the potential consequences of IPV and TBI across different professional settings (e.g., human services, mental health, and criminal justice) when not properly identified and treated. Sixth, this training concludes with a discussion of the existing research in the area and the identification of future directions for research. In combination, advanced training in these areas has the potential to break the cycle of violence for these victims of IPV and improve their short- and long-term outcomes.