Today Women’s Refuge releases a new report never undertaken in Aotearoa before looking at the prevalence of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) in victims of family violence.

The report, part of a wider research project Safer When, Safer How, coincides with Brain Awareness Week and highlights the experiences and challenges of the unseen victims of TBI – women who have been beaten by their partners.

TBI is a condition most people see as linked to contact sports like rugby or serious accidents, most often involving men. People rarely consider the likelihood that women experiencing partner violence will sustain a TBI, even though abusers most often target victims' heads, faces, necks, and spines – often repetitively. TBI amongst women victims remains understudied and unrecognised – even most research centres on sporting, combat and crash injuries.

Dr Ang Jury Women’s Refuge CEO says:

“It is clear from this report that the likelihood of women sustaining a TBI from their partners’ abuse is much higher than we had thought. And this is not a bruise that heals quickly – these consequences last days, weeks and even years and have serious impacts on how a victim can function day to day and the type of support they receive.”

A deep dive into women’s refuge risk assessment data paints a similar picture. There is a high prevalence of TBI in victims of family violence, with just over half of women reporting that they have been punched in the head. Over a quarter of these women lost consciousness, and many of them experienced physical symptoms like head/neck pain, fatigue, unsteadiness, or problems hearing or seeing in the days afterwards, and new difficulties with concentration, memory, or emotion regulation in the days afterwards.

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“Because the connection between family violence and TBI is not widely understood, many women will not have TBI diagnosed by their GPs and may not even know what is happening themselves. Additionally, many will never even get the opportunity - over a quarter of women reported their access to medical care was blocked by their abuser.”

The report goes onto to assert that family violence and TBI occurring concurrently must be recognised to provide effective support. It shows that victims with a TBI have to access many more services, for more hours a month, and for more months than what victims without a TBI do. And despite getting help from agencies, many of them still have to live with violence and its impacts, which get in the way of their recovery.

“We know how difficult it is to reach out for assistance for victims, as well as begin the difficult journey of rebuilding their lives - combining this with TBI which is likely growing worse due to repeated assaults it makes the barrier for leaving an abuser and living a fulfilling life after even more difficult. Inflicting injuries that result in TBI serves abusers’ interests and have long-term implications for women’s health and social outcomes.”

Crucially, the report suggests all services should listen carefully to how victims describe their symptoms and adjust their approach to make support as accessible and sustainable as possible.

“Specialist agencies and health services can play a key role in supporting victim by proactively asking about head injuries, recognising symptoms, and providing education about TBI.”

Those who are supporting a loved one can also play an important part in their safety and recovery.

“If you feel that someone you know may be experiencing TBI you can make a huge difference in their lives by connecting them with medical support and going with them to appointments; offering a helping hand with practical tasks at home; and checking in regularly on things they may need.”

“Our mission is to eliminate family violence and part of this is recognising the unseen barriers to safety – TBI is just this.”

Full report available here: https://womensrefuge.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/SWSH-TBI-and-IPV-research-p1.pdf

Note:

Contact Energy

This report is part of a larger research project, never undertaken in Aotearoa New Zealand – Safer When, Safer How the aims to examine family violence risk and what really works to make women safer. This work is generously funded by Contact Energy.

Family violence statistics

• Around 50,000 women and children were referred to Women’s Refuge last year.
• On average Women’s Refuge answers 71 crisis calls per day.
• New Zealand has the highest rates of family violence in the OECD.
• 1 in 3 women will experience abuse in their lifetime in Aotearoa.
• Nearly half of all homicides and reported violent crimes are related to family violence.
• Around 67% of family violence episodes go unreported.

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