Extreme Control and Instability: Insight Into Head Injury From Intimate Partner Violence.
Amanda St Ivany, Susan Kools, Phyllis Sharps and 1 others
PMID 30433908WHAT IT FOUND
Nine women who self-reported losing consciousness from being hit in the head during intimate partner violence described extreme control, forced sex, unstable housing, incarceration and inconsistent police responses.
They did not report receiving medical care for these injuries.
Key findings
01Nine women selected by self-reporting loss of consciousness from head blows during IPV described instability and extreme control.
02The women described being hit in the head, forced sex, and denial of medical attention as linked forms of extreme control.
03The women did not report receiving medical treatment for head injury, although this was not specifically asked.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This was a secondary analysis of existing interviews, so the researchers could not ask follow-up questions about head injury or why care was missed. Loss of consciousness was self-reported and not medically confirmed, so the paper cannot establish TBI or injury severity. The women did not report receiving medical care for the head injury, but that was not specifically asked, so care-seeking may be underdetected. Only 9 women were interviewed, and they were pregnant or postpartum with children in low-income home-visiting programs, so findings may not apply to women without children or other settings. The qualitative design describes experiences and barriers, not whether screening or interventions help.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The parent DOVE study is identified by grant R01 NR009093; funding for this secondary analysis is not stated.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that asking about head injury during IPV assessment has been shown to improve safety or care. This qualitative study describes experiences of 9 women, not outcomes, and medical treatment was not specifically asked.