HOLLIDAYSBURG — A while ago, Cheryl Gonsman of Family Services Inc. responded to a victim services hotline call from a woman who said she was in an abusive relationship and wanted help recovering her car with her husband, who had left with it.

Gonsman suggested the woman call the police, while mulling over joint ownership of marital property – and only later discovered that despite the woman’s “fixation” on the car, there was a problem though more serious: she had been strangled by her husband. .

At a workshop Friday on brain injuries caused by domestic violence, Gonsman and others learned that victims of domestic violence, when interacting with social workers, often do not reveal the full reality of their abuse , and that it is necessary for these workers to be vigilant. looking for signs of what lies beneath the surface – while asking probing questions to uncover that reality.

If he had it to do over again, Gonsman would have asked questions like, “Are you safe at home?” » or “did he hurt you?” she said, following a presentation by Frank Hillary and Elizabeth Rebuck of the Brain Injury and Plasticity Lab in the psychology department at Penn State University Park.

It is often necessary for social service providers to overcome a natural tendency not to ask seemingly intrusive and personal questions, because in many cases the brain damage that occurs during abuse – including strangulation, due from the lack of oxygen it causes – make it difficult for the victims. to express what’s on their minds, let alone successfully plan their escape, officials said.

Ironically, the brain damage resulting from the abuse women must flee makes it difficult to escape by compromising the “executive function” required to do so safely, due to the barriers to escape that abusers often erect, such as hiding their ID cards. credit, according to Ashley Gay Vocco, program director at Family Services, and the presenters.

“Leave” difficult

The compromise of these mental functions is why so many women can’t do what many observers encourage them to do: “leave,” Gay Vocco and the presenters said.

One in three women – and one in four men – experience domestic violence at some point in their lives, according to Hillary.

That means social workers of all types inevitably encounter such victims regularly, including victims who don’t show obvious signs of abuse, Gay Vocco said.

People usually think of soldiers or football players when they think of brain injuries, according to Gay Vocco.

They don’t often think about ordinary women, she said, noting that their injuries are often “untreated and unnoticed.”

Brain damage in abused women can occur from blows to the head, impacts with hard objects like a wall or floor, and shaking — and the effects can add up, according to Hillary and Rebuck.

Damage can occur when it is not visible to either the victim or observers.

Most people social workers encounter with head injuries from abuse will have symptoms that indicate only mild damage, based on a common measure of head trauma, Hillary said.

But the damage is real and often life-altering, he said.

Signs of victimization that underlie this damage include fear of one’s intimate partner, anxiety about pleasing one’s partner, defending one’s partner’s disturbing behavior, losing contact with friends and family, her no longer doing the things she used to enjoy, his lack of control over his finances, the demand that she always keep him informed of her whereabouts, his showing up unexpectedly and her interrupting his conversation when he shows up, Hillary said.

Signs indicating an unsafe partner include a push for quick engagement; excessive jealousy; prohibit the woman from being in the company of her loved ones; not letting her get a job; degrading language; excessive mood swings; pressure to engage in disturbing behavior, including sexual behavior, drug abuse, or illegal activities; intimidation and threats; or threats of self-harm if she leaves, he said.

Social workers should be careful not to give advice that would put victims in greater danger, according to presenters.

That means not allowing abusers to see evidence of victims seeking help, and it means making sure that if victims plan to leave, those plans happen without the abusers knowing.

Signs of head trauma

Common problems after a head injury include physical problems such as headaches, trouble sleeping, sensitivity to light or noise, dizziness, balance problems, fatigue, and seizures; emotional problems such as worry and fear, panic, flashbacks, sadness, depression, hopelessness, anger and irritation; and thinking problems such as difficulty remembering, understanding, paying attention, following directions, starting tasks, or deciding what to do next, as well as problems organizing and controlling one’s emotions or his reactions, according to a leaflet presented during the workshop.

Victims should see a doctor when a headache does not go away, when the pupils of the eyes are not the same size, when a person has difficulty remembering what just happened, when they is extremely sleepy or has difficulty waking up or has trouble sleeping. speech or numbness or decreased coordination or repeated vomiting or nausea or tremors or twitching or confusion, or agitation or incontinence or loss of consciousness, according to the leaflet.

There are strategies for dealing with problems caused by head injuries, according to the pamphlet.

When experiencing nightmares, flashbacks, anxiety, a desire to withdraw, or a racing heart, it may help to focus on deep breathing, find something to serve as a distraction, or seek support by talking to others, according to the leaflet.

For memory problems, it can help to write down events in a calendar, record things on your phone, always put important items in the same place, set alerts on your phone, and request reminders to remember. appointment.

In cases of hypersensitivity to light or noise, it may be helpful to use earplugs, headphones, sunglasses or dimmers and to enlarge the size of electronic text, as well as to schedule an eye exam.

For communication and comprehension problems, it can be helpful to ask people to speak more slowly and to explain what they are saying; and it can help to give information more than once.

For planning and organizing problems, as well as problems with decision making and starting tasks, it can be helpful to break things down into small steps, write down different ideas, discuss the problems with a person trust and work on a problem for a specific period of time. of time, then take a break when frustration sets in.