Introduction: Abused women often report a wide range of physical and psychological symptoms that present challenges to providers. Specifically, injuries to the head or strangulation, may initiate neurological changes that contribute to central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. These symptoms are often attributed to mental health diagnoses in this population. The purpose of this analysis is to examine the prevalence of and associations between reported probable traumatic brain injury (TBI) and CNS symptoms in a sample of women of African descent. Methods: A convenience sample of 901 women of African descent from Baltimore, MD and the US Virgin Islands, aged 18–55, was used to examine relationships among self-reported intimate partner violence (IPV), TBI, and CNS symptoms. Data were collected via Audio Computer-Assisted Self-Interview. Results: Abused women who experienced a probable TBI were more likely to report CNS symptoms than those who did not. When controlling for demographics, IPV, and mental health symptoms, probable TBI was associated with a two point increase in CNS symptom frequency score (95% confidence interval: 1.55–2.93, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Women who reported both probable TBI and IPV were more likely than their abused counterparts who reported no TBI to report CNS symptoms. This relationship held true even when controlling for symptoms of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Clinicians working with women should be aware of TBI as a possible etiology for symptoms in abused women. Appropriate screening and treatment protocols should be designed and implemented across medical settings to improve outcomes for women who have experienced IPV and TBI.

The leading causes of pregnancy-associated deaths, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are homicide, suicide, and drug overdose. Intimate partner violence during pregnancy has been shown to contribute to maternal mortality from pregnancy-associated deaths. In this article, we discuss these leading causes of pregnancy-associated deaths. We review the prevalence, demographic characteristics, and possible factors leading to each cause of death, as well as evidence-based methods of identification, prevention, and intervention. The review also will include data showing racial and ethnic inequities. In addition, we identify gaps and guiding questions for further research, as well as suggestions for immediate changes in practice and policy.

Aim: To report an analysis of the concept of post‐separation abuse and its impact on the health of children and adult survivors.Design: Concept analysis.Data Sources: A literature search was conducted via PubMed, Cochrane and Embase and identified articles published from 1987 to 2021.Methods: Walker and Avant's (2019) eight stage methodology was used for this concept analysis, including identifying the concept, determining the purpose of analysis, identifying uses of the concept, defining attributes, identifying a model case and contrary case, antecedents and consequences and defining empirical referents.Results: Post‐separation abuse can be defined as the ongoing, willful pattern of intimidation of a former intimate partner including legal abuse, economic abuse, threats and endangerment to children, isolation and discrediting and harassment and stalking. An analysis of literature identified essential attributes including fear and intimidation; domination, power and control; intrusion and entrapment; omnipresence; and manipulation of systems. Antecedents to post‐separation abuse include patriarchal norms, physical separation, children, spatiality and availability, pre‐separation IPV and coercive control and perpetrator characteristics. Consequences include lethality, adverse health consequences, institutional violence and betrayal, such as loss of child custody and economic deprivation.Conclusion: This concept analysis provides a significant contribution to the literature because it advances the science for understanding the phenomenon of post‐separation abuse. It will aid in developing risk assessment tools and interventions to improve standards of care for adult and children survivors following separation from an abusive partner.Impact: This concept analysis of post‐separation abuse provides a comprehensive insight into the phenomenon and a theoretical foundation to inform instrument development, future research and intervention. Post‐separation abuse is a complex, multi‐faceted phenomenon that requires differential social, legal and healthcare systems responses to support the health and well‐being of survivors and their children.

This article examines children and adolescent exposure to violence in various contexts. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify the definitions and types of violence reported in studies on victimization using the ecological systems framework. Sources included research studies and/or reports from scholarly journals (n = 140), books (n = 9), conferences/workshops (n = 5), and Web sources, such as Uniform Crime Reports (n = 23). The findings indicated that research differed in terminologies, conceptual and operational definitions, sample sizes, and age group classification for children and adolescents. Furthermore, studies lacked focus on the co-occurrence and interrelatedness of victimization and how these factors might affect the outcomes. Many studies employed a cross-sectional design, which limits strong conclusions about the temporal order of victimization experiences and outcomes. Future research efforts need more consistency among researchers in conceptual and operational definitions and the use of more rigorous designs. Increased holistic assessments are critical for effective prevention and intervention strategies for at-risk children and adolescents.

Problem: The intersecting epidemics of gender‐based violence, specifically forced sex, and HIV continue to affect women worldwide. Both in the United States and worldwide, women of African descent are disproportionately affected.Method of study: The current literature was reviewed for inclusion based on its relevance to the intersection of forced sex and HIV risk behaviors.Results: This brief review synthesizes research on the linkages between forced sex and behavioral risk factors for HIV infection. We explore forced sex from the perspective of the perpetrator being a current or former intimate partner, as well as the first sexual intercourse experience occurring through the use of physical force (i.e., forced sexual initiation). The review also emphasizes the importance of expanding current research to understand the physiological mechanisms linking forced sex to HIV risk.Conclusion: The factors linking intimate partner forced sex and forced sexual initiation with HIV/AIDS are varied and complex. The review concludes with recommendations for future research in this area and implications this research could have on preventing violence and mitigating the health consequences.

The substance abuse, violence and HIV/AIDS (SAVA) syndemic represents a complex set of social determinants of health that impacts the lives of women. Specifically, there is growing evidence that intimate partner violence (IPV) places women at risk for both HIV acquisition and poorer HIV-related outcomes. This study assessed prevalence of IPV in an HIV clinic setting, as well as the associations between IPV, symptoms of depression and PTSD on three HIV-related outcomes—CD4 count, viral load, and missed clinic visits. In total, 239 adult women attending an HIV-specialty clinic were included. Fifty-one percent (95% CI: 45%–58%) reported past year psychological, physical, or sexual intimate partner abuse. In unadjusted models, IPV was associated with having a CD4 count 33% of past year all type clinic visits (OR: 1.535, 95% CI: 0.920–2.560, p = 0.101) or HIV specialty clinic visits (OR: 1.251, 95% CI: 0.732–2.140). In multivariable regression, controlling for substance use, mental health symptoms and demographic covariates, IPV remained associated with CD4 count <200 (OR: 3.536, 95% CI: 1.114–11.224, p = 0.032), but not viral suppression. The association between IPV and lower CD4 counts, but not adherence markers such as viral suppression and missed visits, indicates a need to examine potential physiologic impacts of trauma that may alter the immune functioning of women living with HIV. Incorporating trauma-informed approaches into current HIV care settings is one opportunity that begins to address IPV in this patient population.