The Study of Intimate Partner Violence-Related Head Trauma: Recommendations from the Enhancing Neuroimaging and Genetics through Meta-Analysis Consortium Intimate Partner Violence Working Group

Intimate partner violence includes psychological aggression, physical violence, sexual violence, and stalking from a current or former intimate partner. Experiencing intimate partner violence is associated with impaired neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning, mental illness, as well as structural brain alterations. These impairments seem to be compounded by exposure to physical trauma to the head. Importantly, up to 90% of women exposed to intimate partner violence also experience some form of head trauma or even repetitive head trauma. However, research on this topic is sparse, and the neurobehavioral and neurobiological effects of head trauma in this population have not been systematically investigated. A key aim of the EnhancingNeuroimaging and Genetics through Meta-Analysis Consortium Intimate Partner Violence Working Group is to provide recommendations for the harmonization of measures collected to facilitate the meta-analysis of neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and genetic data across studies. Here, we review the current literature on the impact of intimate partner violence-related head trauma in men and women. We further provide recommendations for studies examining the effects of intimate partner violence-related head trauma on neuronal, cognitive, and psychological functioning, as well as the influence of genetic variation. We anticipate that the harmonization of measures across studies will increase the statistical power in characterizing how IPV-related head trauma impacts long-term physical and psychological health, as well as in determining the influence of common comorbidities and genetic variation.