VAWnet updates special collections on Traumatic Brain Injury; and Disasters and Emergencies

These collations of online information provide access to resources on a range of topics. VAWnet is the US National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women.

Traumatic brain injury

This special collection assists domestic violence service providers and health care professionals to understand the prevalence and effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the context of domestic violence. The collection offers screening tools for advocates in the field of domestic violence as well as other relevant information for recognizing when the person they are supporting has a TBI. The authors state,

"the use of physical force by an intimate partner during incidents of domestic violence can cause traumatic brain injury as abusive partners often cause injury to a victim’s head, neck (including strangulation), and face. In one study, 30% of domestic violence survivors reported a loss of consciousness at least once and 67% reported residual problems that were potentially head-injury related (Corrigan, Wolfe, Mysiw, Jackson & Bogner, 2003).

However, TBI often goes undiagnosed amongst domestic violence survivors. One reason for this is that domestic violence survivors, who also have a TBI, may exhibit symptoms that could resemble those of a mental illness, such as depression, anxiety, tension and/or inability to adapt to changing situations. Additionally, DV/TBI survivors may appear to have behavioral issues, including problems with keeping appointments, following through, or completing tasks that require multiple steps."

Disaster and Emergency Preparedness and Response

"This collection highlights the disproportionate vulnerability of women and children to domestic and sexual violence in disaster and emergency situations, and organizes information to help increase the safety and well being of those at higher risk for violence (or re-traumatization) during and after a major disaster or crisis. Note that the terms 'disaster' and 'emergency' are being used broadly to refer to major traumatic events and crisis situations that are either natural (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, etc.) or man-made (e.g., massacres, terrorist attacks, etc.)"

The authors state,

"Although the body of research on post-disaster violence is limited, the available information from recent experiences has demonstrated that gender violence is a critical issue facing communities affected by disasters. Concerns about injuries, infectious diseases and the provision of basic needs often take precedence over the surveillance of violence in the aftermath of a disaster (World Health Organization, 2005). However, the data that is available underscore that women, in particular, become especially vulnerable to sexual and domestic violence in the chaos and social breakdown that follows a disaster (Chew & Ramdas, 2005)."

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