UBCO researchers are raising concerns about brain damage caused by intimate partner violence in 2SLGBTQIA+ relationships.
When people think of a concussion or a traumatic brain injury caused by intimate partner violence (IPV), they might picture people in a heterosexual relationship, or a man hurting a woman.
But a UBC Okanagan researcher points out that IPV, and its repercussions, is an issue in all relationships. Doctoral student Tori Stranges recently published a paper examining the prevalence and damage done by violence in Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer (or Questioning), Intersex and Asexual (2SLGBTQIA+) relationships.
“It’s very common for people to think that violence doesn’t happen in queer relationships because the way we view violence is through a traditional heteronormative lens—where all relationships are heterosexual,” says Stranges, a researcher with UBCO’s School of Health and Exercise Sciences. “But IPV is defined as a pattern of physical, sexual, psychological and emotional violence in the context of coercive control by a former or current intimate partner. And it can happen to anyone, any gender, any sexual orientation and in any relationship.”
Stranges works with UBCO’s Dr. Paul van Donkelaar, a Professor in the School of Health and Exercise Sciences and scientific advisor for Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research. Just last month, a team of UBC researchers, including Dr. van Donkelaar, was awarded $3.4M to address brain injuries in survivors of intimate partner violence.
“We are just scratching the surface in our understanding of IPV brain injury and this work is amongst the first in the world to examine this issue in the 2SLGBTQIA+community,” says Dr. van Donkelaar. “It’s important research and it’s vital that the findings from this work inform supports for IPV survivors.”
Read the full story here: UBC Okanagan News