Domestic Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury

In the last two decades, family violence has become one of the country’s largest health problems (Warnken & Rosenbaum, 1994). Former or current partners commit 30% of the murders of women in this country. Aggression affects one out of three marriages, accounts for approximately 12% of all homicides, and has been identified as the most common cause of injury in women (Stark & Flitcraft, 1988; Rosenbaum et al., 1994). Offspring of families who experience or witness family violence in the home growing up, have a much greater likelihood of becoming offenders themselves (Kalmuss, 1984). There are a variety of factors that have been linked to domestic violence, and the factors that contribute to determining aggression may not be the same for all individuals (Miller, 1999). Factors associated with domestic violence are sociocultural, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and biological in nature. Miller (1999) has hypothesized that head injuries may be one of the contributory factors for high number of individuals who engage in aggression towards family members have sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI); (Warnken et al., 1994). Trauma to the brain can lead to repeated incidents of violent behavior in individuals without a previous history of aggression prior to the injury (Elliott, 1982).