Identifying the Cognitive, Psychological, and Neuroimaging Signatures of Head Trauma in Female Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)

The Hillary Lab is currently recruiting new participants for an in-person study! We are pleased to report that we have been funded by National Institute of Health to investigate the effects of physical violence and head trauma, as a result of intimate partner violence, on psychological health, thinking abilities, and the brain. We are looking for female survivors of intimate partner violence who would like to share their stories with us, as well as complete an MRI scan and cognitive testing.

Eligibility: To be eligible to participate you must be a female between the ages of 18-60, who has experienced injury due to intimate partner violence, but not within the previous three months. You also must be cleared by the study team as eligible for an fMRI exam.

Study Visit Agenda:

• MRI Scan (~1.5 hours) to assess brain structure and function.

• Interviews (~2 hours) discussing history of head injury, domestic abuse, and current mental health symptoms

• Cognitive Testing (~2 hours) assessing areas such as memory, attention, reasoning, etc.

• Self Report Questionairres (~1 hour) asking physical and mental health symptoms, sleep problems, and quality of life.

Participation is strictly confidential and will be compensated and travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Participants can choose to participate at either Penn State Univeristy Park OR Penn State Hershey Medical Center