Understanding the Lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women Who Have Experienced a Traumatic Brain Injury Through Family Violence

Background

In Australia, the intersection of family violence and traumatic brain injury and its implications are now being recognised in the formulation of family violence policies and frameworks. Yet, little qualitative research exists around how surviving this experience impacts their lives, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. This project aims to explore the nature and context of women's lives who are living with the consequences of head injury from family violence and how women rebuild their life and identity after the injury.

The project objectives are to:

Understand how women experience the transition from hospital back to community and country after hospitalisation for a TBI
Understand how services support women during their journey of return from hospital to community and country
Identify the key supports and issues for women and their families living with TBI
Understand what is important for women and their families living with TBI
Identify the strengths and gaps in service delivery for women living with TBI

Project

This 3-year exploratory project is being conducted across three Australian jurisdictions (Northern Territory, Queensland and New South Wales). The findings from this project will help to (i) inform the development of resources for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, their families and service providers and (ii) will seek to bridge the gap between research and practice to help inform the delivery of services.

Research Team

Michelle Fitts, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Jennifer Cullen, Adjunct A/Professor, Synapse Australia
Dr Gail Kingston, Townsville Hospital and Health Service
Karen Soldatić, CERC Health Equity and Community Wellbeing, Toronto Metropolitan University, ON, Canada
Yasmin Johnson, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University
Elaine Wills, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University

Project Advisors

Shirleen Nampjinpa Campbell and Carmel Simpson, Tangentyere Women's Family Safety Group
June Riemer, First Peoples Disability Network
Jody Barney, Independent Social Justice Advocate
Salli-Ann Buttigieg, Townsville Hospital and Health Service
Myra Fordham, Author and Independent Social Justice Advocate
Larissa Ellis, Women's Safety Services of Central Australia

Funding

Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DE210100639)

Publications

Fitts, M.S., & Soldatic, K. Exploring the dynamics between homelessness and healthcare access for Indigenous women with traumatic brain injury from family violence: A qualitative study. BMC Public Health. (under review)

Fitts, M.S., Cullen, J., Montgomery, R., & Duffy, G. It's been like a spiritual awakening for me": The impacts of traumatic brain injury education with Indigenous women in the Australian correctional system. Frontiers in Education. (under review)

Wills, E, & Fitts, M.S. (2024). Listening to the voices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women in regional and remote Australia about traumatic brain injury from family violence: A qualitative study. (external link, opens in new window) Health Expectations.

Fitts, M.S., & Soldatic, K. (2024). Temporalities of emergency: The experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women with traumatic brain injury from violence waiting for healthcare and service supports. (external link, opens in new window) Health Sociology Review, 1-15.

Fitts, M.S., Johnson, Y. & Soldatic, K. (2024). The Emergency Department Response to Indigenous Women Experiencing Traumatic Brain Injury from Family Violence: Insights from Interviews with Hospital Staff in Regional Australia. (external link, opens in new window) Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-023-00678-5 (external link)

Fitts, M.S., Cullen, J., & Barney, J. (2023). Barriers Preventing Indigenous Women with Violence-Related Head Injuries from Accessing Services in Australia. (external link, opens in new window) Australian Social Work. 76(3), 406–419, DOI: 10.1080/0312407X.2023.2210115

Fitts, M.S., Cullen, J., Kingston, G., Johnson, Y., Wills, E., & Soldatic, K. (2023). Using research feedback loops to implement a disability case study with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and service providers in regional and remote Australia (external link, opens in new window) , Health Sociology Review, 32:1, 94-109, DOI: 10.1080/14461242.2023.2173018

Fitts, M.S., Cullen, J., Kingston, G., Johnson, Y., Wills, E., & Soldatic, K. (2023). Understanding the Lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Women with Traumatic Brain Injury through Family Violence in Australia: A Qualitative Study Protocol. (external link, opens in new window) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(2):1607. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20021607 (external link)

Fitts, M.S., Cullen, J., Kingston, G., Wills, E., & Soldatic, K. (2022). “I Don’t Think It’s on Anyone’s Radar”: The Workforce and System Barriers to Healthcare for Indigenous Women Following a Traumatic Brain Injury Acquired through Violence in Remote Australia. (external link, opens in new window) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,19, 14744. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214744 (external link)