Neuropsychological and Balance Symptoms of Abused Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence-Related Strangulation: A Feasibility and Acceptability Study

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a public health crisis that results in acute and long-term health consequences for women, including potential acquired brain injury from non-fatal strangulation. Despite existing evidence on the neuropsychological sequelae experienced by women after experiencing IPV-related assault, limited evidence-based treatment protocols exist for these women. This 14-month study sought to: 1) assess the feasibility and acceptability of recruiting women who experienced strangulation associated with IPV within 7 days of the event and retaining them throughout a 3-month follow-up period; and 2) examine preliminary data from neuropsychological, balance, and symptom assessments. Inclusion criteria were: reported strangulation by an intimate partner in the past 7 days, female, 18–60 years of age, English speaking, and able to consent. Neuropsychological, balance, and symptom assessments were administered at the first time point and again 3 months later. Participants also completed a standardized daily symptom inventory. Eight participants (73%) were recruited and completed daily inventories and the baseline assessment; 4 (36%) completed the baseline and 3-month assessments. Of the 4 participants who completed the 3-month assessment, none reported symptom resolution. Only balance returned to values consistent with normative values. Our results demonstrate the ability to recruit women who have experienced IPV-related strangulation during the post-acute phase of injury with less success retaining participants for a 90-day period for follow-up study. This pilot research protocol demonstrated the feasibility of recruitment from the emergency department and systematic evaluation of neuropsychological and functional symptoms in women who experienced strangulation in the context of IPV.

Working memory, episodic memory and sustained attention in women survivors of intimate partner violence in Spain: The Believe Battery

“…Furthermore, it is novel in its inclusion of a diverse sample of women. To date, the majority of research on neuropsychological performance in IPV survivors has been conducted in North America (Aupperle et al, 2016;Deering et al, 2001;Hebenstreit et al, 2014;Muir et al, 2022;Raskin et al, 2023;Seedat et al, 2005;Stein et al, 2002;Twamley et al, 2009;Valera & Berenbaum, 2003;Valera & Kucyi, 2017;. To the best of our knowledge, only four studies have examined neuropsychological functioning among IPV survivors outside of this geographical region (Castro et al, 2022;Chung et al, 2014;Daugherty et al, 2019;Rodriguez & Guzmán Cortés, 2023), thus limiting the representativeness of our understanding of the potential impact of IPV on cognition in diverse samples.…”