Though intimate partner abuse often involves physical blows, research has been slow to consider the prevalence of brain injuries among women seeking services after intimate violence and implications for navigating systems of care. This presentation will provide brief background on research that has emerged over the last several years on mild brain injuries among women victimized by intimate partners. Findings from new Colorado-based research on brain injuries will be shared; there were more than one hundred women seeking services connected to a family justice center after intimate partner abuse. Implications of the new research for screening, case management, and service navigation to support survivors of intimate partner abuse will be considered.
Learning Objectives:
Describe trends in recent research on the prevalence of mild brain injuries among women victimized by intimate partners.
Describe implications of head injuries for women seeking services after intimate partner abuse.
Compare head injury and cognitive screening instruments.
Presenters:
Dr. Kim Gorgens is a Professor of Psychophysiology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at the University of Denver. She is board-certified in Rehabilitation Psychology and is the current President of the American Psychological Association Division on Rehabilitation Psychology. She manages a large portfolio of traumatic brain injury (TBI) related research and has lectured extensively on those issues (including a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion, a 2018 TED talk on brain injuries in criminal justice, several NPR spots and an interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper). Her work has been featured in USNews, Newsweek, the Economist, and more. Her research studies the reported injury history, cognitive function and brain biomarkers of youth and college athletes, probationers and inmates. Her mission is to better understand the short and long-term impacts of injuring our most vital organ.
Anne DePrince is a distinguished university professor, expert in trauma and intimate violence, and author of Every 90 Seconds: Our Common Cause Ending Violence against Women. As a clinical psychologist, community-engaged researcher, and Associate Vice Provost for Public Good Strategy & Research, Anne champions community-university collaboration for public problem solving. The recipient of the U.S. Department of Justice Vision 21 Crime Victims Research Award for her contributions to the nation’s understanding of crime victims, she invites you to discover your self-interest in working together to end violence against women and girls.
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