TBIs Don’t Only Happen in Crashes and Falls — Study Highlights Underrecognized Brain Injuries Linked to Intimate Partner Violence

When people think of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), they picture car wrecks, sports collisions, or dangerous falls. But a new analysis from Siegfried & Jensen shows a large — and often invisible — share of TBIs may be happening behind closed doors.

Every year in the U.S., about 2.5 million people sustain a traumatic brain injury, an injury caused by a blow, jolt, or penetrating head trauma that disrupts normal brain function. While men account for a higher share of hospitalizations and deaths overall, the study highlights a critical point: women’s brain injuries are frequently underdiagnosed, underreported, and undertreated, especially when TBIs stem from intimate partner violence (IPV).

A Clear Gender Split — With Different Risk Drivers

The study reports that men make up roughly 60% of TBI-related hospitalizations and about 73% of TBI-related deaths, largely due to higher exposure to high-speed crashes, assaults, risky recreation, and hazardous industries.

Women represent about 40% of hospitalizations and 27% of deaths, but their injury profile often looks different:

Falls contribute heavily, especially among older women.
Sports and recreation can carry substantial concussion risk for girls and women, including activities like cheerleading, gymnastics, horseback riding, cycling, soccer, and basketball.
Women may experience longer recovery times in certain sports contexts (as noted in your study), and symptoms may be dismissed or attributed to stress, migraines, or anxiety rather than recognized as post-concussive effects.

The Underrecognized Link: IPV and Brain Injury

Perhaps the most urgent — and overlooked — part of the study involves intimate partner violence.

Your study cites research indicating that as many as 75% of domestic violence survivors sustain at least one TBI, often from blows to the head, being violently shaken, or strangulation-related trauma. Many survivors never seek emergency care due to fear, coercion, or lack of resources — meaning these injuries are missing from “official” injury statistics.

The study further cites an estimate from the Ohio Domestic Violence Network suggesting 1.6 million domestic violence survivors may suffer TBIs every year, a figure that dwarfs most public perception of the problem and underscores how hidden IPV-related brain injuries can be.

“These numbers are a warning,” said a spokesperson familiar with the findings. “If a person is repeatedly hit in the head or strangled, that’s not just assault — it can be repeated brain trauma with long-term neurological consequences.”

TBI Symptoms Can Masquerade as Something Else

TBIs can cause headaches, dizziness, memory problems, brain fog, mood changes, sleep disruption, and difficulty concentrating — symptoms that are frequently misattributed, especially when injuries are not reported or documented.

Without recognition and follow-up care, survivors may live for years with untreated symptoms that impair work performance, parenting, relationships, and overall quality of life.

The Bigger TBI Landscape: Common Causes Still Matter

While IPV represents a critical blind spot, the study reinforces that TBIs arise from a complex mix of causes:

Falls (28%) remain the most common cause overall
Motor vehicle crashes (20%) are a major contributor to moderate/severe TBIs
Hit by/against object (19%) includes workplace impacts and sports injuries
Assault (11%) captures intentional harm broadly, but IPV may be severely undercounted

Solutions: Prevention, Screening, and Safer Systems

The study emphasizes prevention strategies such as fall-risk reduction for seniors, helmet and seat belt use, and stronger workplace safety protections. But it also points to a need for screening and support systems that better detect TBIs in IPV contexts, including: