Dissertation Defence: Characterizing Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury in 2S/LGBTQIA+ Communities

Tori N. Stranges, supervised by Drs. Nelly D. Oelke and Deana Simonetto, will defend their dissertation titled “Characterizing Intimate Partner Violence-Caused Brain Injury in 2S/LGBTQIA+ Communities” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Kinesiology.

An abstract for Tori N. Stranges’ dissertation is included below.

Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Registration is not required for in-person exams.

Abstract

Brain injury (BI) is a consequence of experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV). Current research regarding IPV-caused BI (IPV-BI) largely excludes 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. Heteronormativity and cisnormativity are entrenched not only into the research process, but also into communities of care designed to support survivors of IPV-BI. My doctoral dissertation used an explanatory sequential mixed methods design (QUANT  QUANT/QUAL embedded  QUAL) across 3 studies to examine IPV-BI in 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities located in the western Canadian province of British Columbia. First, I characterized the extent to which 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors are experiencing IPV-BI through an observational cross-sectional online survey (QUANT; Chapter 4). The results demonstrated that 68% of the sample had experienced IPV that resulted in symptoms consistent with a BI. Follow-up semi-structured interviews were then conducted with service providers, some of which had lived experience, who work with 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors of IPV-BI. The following chapter (QUANT/QUAL; Chapter 5) combined both survey and interview data from 2S/LGBTQIA+ IPV-BI survivors regarding experiences of navigating formal care as a result of IPV-BI. Quantitative analyses indicated that most 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors of IPV-BI accessed formal services, particularly healthcare and psychosocial supports, with trans women accessing significantly more sources of support (M = 2.77, SD = 1.23, n = 53) and types of service providers (M = 3.10, SD = 1.49, n = 53) compared to other participants, while queer participants accessed significantly fewer sources of support (M = 1.57, SD = 1.17, n = 38) and types of providers (M = 1.87, SD = 1.31, n = 38), highlighting variation in service engagement across gender identity and sexual orientation. Qualitative analysis demonstrated that 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors engaged with formal systems of care yet did so within service landscapes that remain largely structured around cisgender, heterosexual assumptions. Finally, the last analysis chapter (QUAL; Chapter 6), situates the findings of my dissertation within broader sociological, health, and IPV literatures to examine how interpersonal dynamics, institutional practices, and systemic structures shape the experiences of 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors of IPV-BI. Drawing on the interviews with service providers, analyzed using an interpretive description methodology, this chapter demonstrates that providers’ efforts to support 2S/LGBTQIA+ survivors are shaped by a persistent tension between facilitation and constraint. My doctoral dissertation illuminates the critical IPV and IPV-BI public health crisis in 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities by characterizing IPV-BI within 2S/LGBTQIA+ populations and challenges traditional IPV frameworks rooted in heteronormativity and cisnormativity. My dissertation calls for an expanded lens in key IPV service provider organizations that affirms the diversity of all people regardless of gender identity, and/or sexual orientation. Ultimately, it advances our understanding of its prevalence, context, and systemic barriers to care.