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Too Many to Count is the first study in the United Kingdom to explore the prevalence of brain injury in domestic abuse survivors accessing community-based services.
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Home > News > Domestic Abuse is a Public Health Crisis
At Brainkind, we agree that domestic abuse is a public health issue. Our research, Too Many to Count, revealed that one in two people who have experienced domestic abuse may have a potential brain injury. This can impact mood, memory, mobility, and almost every area of life. Eighty per cent of the women we spoke to in our study said they had experienced a serious blow to the head. Meanwhile, 75 per cent shared that they had been held in such a way that they felt they couldn’t breathe. Both are potential mechanisms for brain injury.
Brainkind’s report, featured on BBC Radio 4’s Women’s Hour, also found significant overlap between brain injury and mental health symptoms. This highlighted the need for improved awareness of brain injury symptoms across sectors supporting survivors, so that they can get the care they need. You can read the full report here.
Our next steps
As the research from the University of Glasgow shows, more work is needed in this space. At Brainkind, we agree with these findings and call for further work in this area. As brain injury experts, we have sought to work in partnership with survivors, domestic abuse organisations, and charities in the UK and US to understand the breadth of complexities and issues in this area.
We are working hard to gather further evidence to drive change in policy and process. To make this happen, we have worked with Women’s Aid to bring brain injury and its impacts to the forefront of national discussion and action. Since July 2024, Women’s Aid have included questions from Brainkind in the latest version of On Track’s new abuse profiles module. These additional questions refer to the potential causes of brain injury and will enable both charities to increase knowledge and understanding in this area. Ultimately, this will lead to improvements in the support and resources available to women who have experienced domestic abuse, as well as the professionals who work with them.
From research to resources
Our work doesn’t end with data collection. This week, as part of Brainkind’s next steps focused on the connections between brain injury and domestic abuse, we’re launching the pilot of a digital resource for professionals: Brainkind Adapt. This web-based tool will help professionals in specialist domestic abuse organisations have structured conversations with people they are supporting about potential brain injury signs and symptoms, as well as think about how they can adapt the way they work.
We are excited for this next phase of our work, turning our research into resources and contributing to lasting social change for both survivors and professionals. This tool will be transformative for professionals, helping them adapt their practice for domestic abuse survivors with the support they need to better understand and navigate their experiences and the lasting impact that this may have on them.
To find out more about our resources for professionals, or our partnerships and projects on supporting people living with brain injuries and neurological conditions, just go to brainkind.org
