New Research Shows Hidden Brain Injury Crisis in Domestic Violence Survivors.
Repeated Concussions and Strangulation Can Cause Long-Term Memory and Cognitive Damage — Even Without Diagnosis.
A groundbreaking Australian-first brain injury study has revealed a concerning link between intimate partner violence (IPV) and long-term brain changes — even in survivors who were never diagnosed with a concussion or traumatic brain injury.
Why This Matters More Than Ever
When most people think of brain injury, especially concussion, they picture sports like football and soccer. But the new Monash University research shows that domestic violence survivors are an invisible epidemic of brain injury, facing memory, learning, and cognition problems long after their most recent violent incident.
Women in the study who experienced repeated head impacts and non-fatal strangulation by a partner scored significantly worse on memory and learning assessments than those who did not. These cognitive changes persisted more than six months after the violence occurred, suggesting real and lasting neurological impact.
Survivors Often Don’t Realize They Have a Brain Injury
One of the most shocking findings of the study is that many participants didn’t even recognize their cognitive symptoms as brain injury. Survivors often attributed memory lapses or difficulty concentrating to “stress” or dismissed them as personal flaws.
This mirrors long-standing issues in brain injury research:
Domestic violence survivors rarely receive TBI screening or follow-up care, even when head impacts occur.
Symptoms of brain injury (e.g., cognitive slowing, memory loss) are often confused with PTSD or emotional trauma.
Strangulation Adds a Dangerous Layer
Non-fatal strangulation doesn’t just injure soft tissue; it reduces blood flow and oxygen to the brain, creating hypoxic brain damage that can compound the effects of a concussion.
Research dating back decades shows that survivors of repeated strangulation and head trauma often present with:
Memory loss
Cognitive dysfunction
Behavioral changes
Psychological challenges like anxiety and depression,
all of which can persist long after the violence ends.
Invisible Brain Injury = Invisible Support Gaps
Unlike athletes, who increasingly benefit from concussion protocols and follow-up care, survivors of IPV rarely receive the screening or medical attention they need, even after multiple head injuries.
This lack of awareness among health-care professionals contributes to:
Delayed or missed diagnosis
Misinterpretation of symptoms as mental health issues
Barriers to accessing appropriate rehabilitation or support
What This Means for Survivors and Support Systems
This study isn’t just about science; it’s about transforming how we think about traumatic brain injury outside of sports. Brain injuries caused by partner violence are real, chronic, and often undiagnosed, yet they have a significant impact on daily functioning and recovery prospects.
For survivors, families, and service providers in the brain injury community, this research underscores an urgent need for:
Better screening tools
Trauma-informed support approaches
Training for clinicians to recognize IPV-related brain injury
Policies that expand access to care and rehabilitation
Key Takeaway
📌 Brain injury from intimate partner violence is not rare, invisible, or insignificant. It can cause lasting cognitive issues, memory changes, and learning difficulties — and survivors may not even know they’ve been injured.
If we want to truly support recovery for survivors, at SLG and in communities everywhere, we must expand our understanding of what brain injury looks like and who it affects.