Examining Associations Between Intimate Partner Violence-Related Brain Injury, Psychological Abuse, and Cognitive...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been associated with adverse physical, psychological, and cognitive consequences in women. Long-term effects of IPV on cognitive functioning are not well understood. We studied cognitive functioning of community-residing women who experienced physical and psychological IPV, on average eight and five years prior, respectively. Specifically, we investigated cognitive functioning in relation to both number of IPV-related mild brain injuries (BIs) and psychological abuse severity.

In a sample of 97 community dwelling women (age 19-69, mean = 39), we assessed Reaction Time, Verbal Memory, Visual Memory, Processing Speed, and Executive Function using the Central Nervous System Vital Signs computerized neuropsychological test battery; lifetime psychological abuse severity using a modified Revised Conflict Tactics Scale 2; and IPV and non-IPV related BIs using the Ohio State University Traumatic BI Identification Method and the BI Severity Assessment.

Women obtained lower scores than expected, given their level of education, on the Reaction Time, Verbal Memory, and the Executive Function domain scores, approximately one-third to two-thirds of a standard deviation below the normative means for the general population. 61% of our sample (59/97) reported at least one IPV-related BI. A greater number of IPV-related mild BIs was associated with lower Visual Memory scores, with a small effect size, but no other cognitive domain scores. Psychological abuse severity had a linear association with higher Reaction Time scores (indicating faster and more accurate responses). Psychological abuse severity had a quadratic inverted-U relationship with Verbal Memory scores indicating initially higher scores, but with greater abuse severity lower scores on the verbal memory test.

Some of the women in the community who experienced physical and psychological IPV years ago obtained cognitive test scores that were lower than expected. There was a weak association between a greater number of IPV-related mild BIs and a measure of visual memory. Unexpectedly, we found that greater psychological abuse severity was associated with faster complex reaction time. Also, at high severity of psychological abuse, women tended to score worse on a measure of verbal recognition memory. These results should be interpreted with caution until replicated in other samples. Future studies using larger sample sizes and longitudinal study designs are needed to better understand the mechanisms by which experiencing psychological abuse is associated with future cognitive functioning.