Person-centered, trauma-informed care and support for resilience after intimate partner violence: an integrative review through a neurobiological lens

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a major global public health concern with severe physical, psychological, and social consequences, strongly associated with chronic stress and diminished wellbeing. IPV often remains under-identified within healthcare and social care settings, with shame, guilt, and stigma acting as barriers to help-seeking. Resilience—the capacity to regulate emotion, adapt, and recover following adversity—has emerged as a central concept in understanding recovery after IPV exposure. Person-centered, trauma-informed care facilities recovery by grounding care in the individual's needs, experiences, and resources and by accounting for how trauma affects the body and the capacity to trust care practitioners. Aim The aim of this study was to analyze person-centered care and support interventions aimed at strengthening resilience in individuals exposed to IPV. Methods An integrative literature review was conducted following Whittemdore and Knafl's methodology. It included 12 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and March 2026, retrieved from CINAHL and APA PsycInfo. Nine studies were qualitative, two quantitative, and one mixed methods; all appraised using the CASP framework. Results Findings were based on 544 participants exposed to IPV (537 women, 7 men, aged 15–73 years), alongside the perspectives of 31 care and support professionals, drawn from studies conducted across eight countries. Three main themes were identified: a safe, trusting, and accessible care relationship as a foundation for resilience; empowerment through participation, autonomy, and reclaiming control; and the mobilization of individual and social resources for long-term recovery, encompassing strength-based coping and supportive networks. Person-centered, trauma-informed care characterized by safety, trust, and genuine participation was central to strengthening resilience. Organizational barriers, along with gendered dynamics affecting autonomy could hinder access to support and recovery. Conclusion Person-centered, trauma-informed care and support can strengthen resilience by fostering trust, participation, and empowerment. Resilience emerged as a dynamic, nonlinear process shaped by individual resources, relationships with care and support staff, and structural conditions. Trauma's effects on the nervous system offer a neurobiological basis for why consistency, predictability, and genuine attentiveness are prerequisites for effective care, not merely good practice. These findings underscore the need for training in trauma-informed, person-centered approaches across all professions supporting individuals exposed to IPV.