Citation

Roberts AR, Kim JH. J. Soc. Serv. Res. 2006; 32(1): 33-47.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1300/J079v32n01_03

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This qualitative study examined the link between chronic woman battering and head injuries in a sample of 52 battered women. The voices of the women in terms of the qualitative data revealed that severe and repeated women battering seems to be associated with head injuries, flashbacks, insomnia, major depression and nightmares of the batterer killing the victim. The research findings support the need for neurological workups among battered women with severe head injuries to rule out temporal lobe epilepsy, and other traumatic brain injuries. It is imperative that battered women be assessed and screened for neurological injuries as well as mental disorders so that appropriate medical and mental health services can be provided. Social workers and psychiatric nurses in hospital emergency rooms and other medical settings are in a pivotal role to detect and facilitate intervention for battered women with neurological injuries and mental disorders.