Women who experience domestic violence 'at higher risk of brain injury almost 30 years after escaping abusers'

9 June 2025, 19:46

Women who experience domestic violence are at higher risk of traumatic brain injury and mental health conditions almost 30 years after escaping their abusers, a study suggests.

Approximately 30% of women internationally experience domestic violence, as violence against women remains a huge global issue.

Latest figures show more than 1.2 million women and over 550,000 men in the UK, between the ages of 16 and 59, have been victims of domestic abuse during their lives.

But even women that escape their abusers are more likely to suffer from mental health conditions and traumatic brain injuries for decades after the end of the abuse, a new study suggests.

The new research shows that the impact on mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), can last for almost 30 years after physical abuse ends.

A new study from the University of Glasgow explored the mental health consequences associated with domestic violence and traumatic brain injury, and suggested that the impact can last for 27 years after the abuse ends.

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The study, Intimate partner violence, traumatic brain injury and long-term mental health outcomes in mid-life: The Drake IPV study, is published in the BMJ Mental Health journal, and researchers said the issue had been “neglected”.

Using data from the multi-centre PREVENT Dementia Study, the researchers found that 14% of 632 study participants, women aged 40 to 59 at recruitment, reported a history of domestic violence with physical abuse.

Compared with unexposed participants, domestic violence was associated with higher traumatic brain injury exposure, alongside higher lifetime and ongoing diagnoses of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and PTSD.

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The risk of ongoing mid-life mental health disorders remained, despite exposure to domestic violence having ceased on average 27 years before assessment, according to the research.

A history of traumatic brain injury in those exposed to domestic violence was also associated with increased risk of ongoing PTSD symptoms and concurrent mental health disorders, the study found.

The work was funded by the Drake Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Medical Research Council, NHS Research Scotland, the Alzheimer’s Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Professor Willie Stewart said: “Given its prevalence, these findings highlight domestic violence as a public health issue with potential for long-lasting impacts on brain health.

“Our work also reinforces the need for more research in this previously neglected area.”

Dr Graciela Muniz-Terrera, a co-author on the study, said: “This study highlights the importance of including questions about domestic violence in population research to advance our knowledge about its long-term effects.”