Like combat troops and professional athletes for example, those impacted by domestic violence are far more likely than the general public to have sustained TBIs. Yet, these injuries are very seldom acknowledged, and studied even less. Data that does exist, indicates that a woman is assaulted or beaten every nine seconds. In fact, according to a survey of women in shelters, 92% had suffered a TBI causal event, and nearly one in 10 had been struck in the head more than 20 times in the previous year. Among those, up to 67% screened for TBIs demonstrated symptoms of possible concussion, which are invisible but can last days, weeks or months, impacting education, work and decision-making.
Nonetheless violence centers in the U.S. remain largely understaffed, women of every age and cultural background are not consistently screened, and proper treatment is rarely given to any female.
The impact of concussions and TBI in women also has a greater cost to the entire American workforce. While one in four women will be victims of severe violence in their lifetime, the national expenditures for those who are beaten at home are equated to about $8 million lost (paid) work days – or 32,000 full-time jobs. Despite this, research to understand the effect of trauma, best practices for treatment and possible methods of prevention are almost non-existent.