Perceived Executive Functioning among Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract

ABSTRACT Current literature demonstrates that female survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) suffer cognitive impairment. Nonetheless, less is known about how women perceive their cognitive functioning and related factors. The main objective was to assess to what degree abuse severity and mental health are related to perceived cognitive functioning in women who have been exposed to IPV. A group of female IPV survivors (n = 82) were assessed with the Quality of Life Outcomes in Neurological Disorders (Neuro-QOL-EF), Composite Abuse Scale Revised (CASR-SF), the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7). Findings revealed self-reported impairment in concentration, information processing, and attention. Associations were found between self-reported executive function (EF) and posttraumatic stress, abuse severity, and depression. Further, a model including abuse severity and posttraumatic stress explained up to 20.8% of the variance in perceived EF. Findings indicate that female survivors report a high prevalence of difficulties in the domain of EF. Self-reported impairment in EF may be indicative of higher levels of posttraumatic stress (PTSD) and depression, meriting further assessment and possibly treatment. This study opens the way for the potential use of perceived cognitive functioning screening tools with female survivors.