Addressing the Shadow Pandemic: COVID-19 Related Impacts, Barriers, Needs, and Priorities to Health Care and Support for Women Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence and Brain Injury.
Danielle Toccalino, Halina Lin Haag, Maria Jennifer Estrella and 5 others
PMID 35007550WHAT IT FOUND
Stakeholders reported increased IPV severity and access barriers during COVID-19.
They identified urgent needs for cross-sector provider education on IPV-TBI signs, formalized peer support, and navigators to help survivors with brain injuries access care.
Key findings
01Stakeholders reported an increase in women presenting with more significant injuries due to extreme violence, and noted that individuals with disabilities, including TBI, were particularly at risk.
02Emergency department staff may miss IPV-TBI signs because they focus on treating immediate visible injuries, leading to a call for cross-sector education for health care providers.
03Survivors with brain injury face specific barriers in accessing virtual care due to cognitive challenges with new technology and safety concerns regarding privacy when living with abusers.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Findings are based on a small, emergency summit of 30 stakeholders, limiting generalizability. Participants were recruited via an existing network and snowball sampling, meaning most were already aware of the IPV-TBI intersection, potentially skewing results toward those concerns. The study did not capture the full diversity of survivor and provider experiences across Canada. As a qualitative study, it produces themes and perceptions rather than measurable clinical outcomes or efficacy data.
Declared interests
The study was supported by a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in TBI in Underserved Populations, which provided infrastructure support for the associated Toolkit and knowledge translation activities.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these stakeholder reports as evidence that specific clinical interventions for IPV-TBI are effective. The study describes perceived barriers and needs, not tested treatments, so it cannot guide clinical decision-making on efficacy.