Grant: DRA : Canada Graduate Research Scholarship - Doctoral Program (CGRS D)

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is a significant and unfortunate issue in Canadian society and can result in severe consequences such as Brain Injuries (BI)s. Research has shown that 23% of Canadian women experience physical IPV in their lifetime. Up to 93% of such experiences can result in BI. These injuries can have serious short-term and long-term effects. Currently, detecting IPV-caused BI is challenging because it relies on self-reporting or witness accounts, both of which are often unavailable or unreliable. As a result, many BIs remain undetected in this population, leaving survivors vulnerable to repeated injuries and further harm. Lifelong experience of IPV-caused BI can also cause faster-than-normal brain decline, increasing the risk of dementia later in life. Despite this risk, the long-term effects of IPV-caused BIs have not been studied closely. Therefore, there is an urgent need for an accurate detection tool that can help identify and study BIs and their long-term results in IPV survivors. Recent innovations in medical research have introduced blood tests that can measure small amounts of brain-specific proteins. These proteins (markers) can report on brain health and have been successfully used to study BIs and brain decline in other contexts. They, however, have not yet been applied to IPV survivors. This project aims to assess the usefulness of these markers in understanding BIs among IPV survivors. We will examine the level of these markers in individuals with both recent and distant IPV-related BI. Identifying markers that are high in individuals with a recent BI due to IPV can help improve the detection of BI. Markers high in individuals with distant IPV-induced BI can shed light on the long-term effects of BI on brain health. Equipping IPV survivors with evidence of their brain health can encourage them to seek proper support and medical care, improving their recovery and life quality. This study is a crucial first step toward this goal.