THE POLYTRAUMA CLINICAL TRIAD AMONG WOMEN SURVIVORS OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) are at risk for traumatic brain injury (TBI), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic pain, which, together, characterize the polytrauma clinical triad. Among predominantly male Veteran samples, research has suggested that the triad may exacerbate health problems, compared to the presence of any component of the triad alone. The current study is the first to explore the polytrauma clinical triad among a sample of female survivors (N=198; M=39.6 years-old, SD=11.9; 83.3% White, 7.1% Hispanic; 59.1% college-educated). Compared to women without TBI history, women with IPV-related TBI had higher rates of chronic pain (43.8% vs. 29.0%, p=.045), PTSD with chronic pain (19.0% vs. 6.5%, p=.009), neurobehavioral symptoms with chronic pain (40.0% vs. 22.6%, p=.030), and the triad (19.0% vs. 6.5%, p=.009), after adjusting for age and education. As the number of lifetime TBIs increased, chronic pain (p=.011) and chronic pain with concurrent neurobehavioral symptoms (p=.007) frequencies also increased. Chronic pain was present among all significant group differences and may be a priority treatment target among survivors. That said, considering survivors often experience concurrent health conditions, multicomponent interventions that address each condition within the polytrauma clinical triad may benefit this population.