Characterization of Cognitive-Motor Function in Women Who Have Experienced Intimate Partner Violence-Related Brain Injury.

Naomi Maldonado-Rodriguez,Clara Val Crocker,K Elisabeth Jones,Colin Wallace,Edward Taylor,Paul Van Donkelaar,Jon Smirl,Krystal Rothlander

doi:10.1089/neu.2021.0042

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects at least one in three women worldwide, and up to 92% report symptoms consistent with brain injury (BI). Although a handful of studies have examined different aspects of brain structure and function in this population, none has characterized potential deficits in cognitive-motor function. This knowledge gap was addressed in the current study by having participants who had experienced IPV complete the bimanual Object Hit & Avoid (OHA) task in a Kinesiological Instrument for Normal and Altered Reaching Movement (KINARM) End-Point Laboratory. BI load, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, substance use, and history of abuse were also assessed. A stepwise multiple regression was undertaken to explore the relationship between BI load and task performance while accounting for comorbid psychopathologies. Results demonstrated that BI load accounted for a significant amount of variability in the number of targets hit and the average hand speed. PTSD, anxiety, and depression also contributed significantly to the variability in these measures as well as to the number and proportion of distractor hits, and the object processing rate. Taken together, these findings suggest that IPV-related BI, as well as comorbid PTSD, anxiety, and depression, disrupt the processing required to quickly and accurately hit targets while avoiding distractors. This pattern of results reflects the complex interaction between the physical injuries induced by the episodes of IPV and the resulting impacts that these experiences have on mental health.

Highlights

It is estimated that one in three women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetimes.[1]
This study reports the results for the Object Hit and Avoid (OHA) task performed on the Kinesiological Instrument for Normal and Altered Reaching Movement (KINARM) End-Point Lab (BKIN Technologies, Kingston, Ontario, Canada)
We found that brain injury (BI) load, as assessed by the Brain Injury Severity Assessment (BISA) score, accounted for a significant amount of variability in the number of targets hit, the number of objects hit, and hand speed

Summary

Introduction

It is estimated that one in three women will experience intimate partner violence (IPV) in their lifetimes.[1] IPV is defined as any physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse, as well as controlling behaviors from an intimate partner.[1] It leads to a multitude of physical, psychological, neurological, cognitive, and emotional consequences, most notably, anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).[2,3,4,5] it is increasingly recognized that brain injury (BI) resulting from violent blows to the head, face, and neck, and/or strangulation, is a common part of this experience.[6,7] some survivors may experience neuropsychological impairment without BI,[8] a recent review[9] reported that up to 92% of women reported symptoms consistent with BI following an IPV incident.[4,10] it is clear that IPV may result in a multitude of physical, psychological, and social consequences; the extent to which BI plays a role in such dysfunction is still poorly understood

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