Intimate partner violence shown to take toll on women’s cognitive performance

As we age, it is likely harder to repeat a phone number we just heard. Memory impairment is considered a normal part of aging. However, due to various risk factors, some people experience greater decline. A new study suggests that physical intimate partner violence may accelerate working memory performance decline.

Results of the study will be presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society, held in Chicago from September 10–14.

An alarming one-third of women in their lifetimes will be affected by some type of intimate partner violence which can result in short- and long-term health consequences. These include poorer performance on measures of cognitive function. Intimate partner violence is physical, emotional, or sexual harm caused by a current or former intimate partner.

In a new study using data from more than 1,700 women who participated in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN), researchers sought to determine whether experiencing physical intimate partner violence in pre- or early-perimenopause was associated with steeper declines in subsequent tests of cognitive performance.

Analyses were adjusted for race/ethnicity, education, financial strain, depressive symptoms, trouble sleeping, and bodily pain.

The findings suggested that women who reported physical intimate partner violence in the year prior to the SWAN baseline interview subsequently demonstrated a statistically significantly greater decline in working memory performance over time compared to women who had not reported violence.

These findings support those of prior studies which found that physical intimate partner violence was negatively associated with working memory.

“This analysis underscores the importance of further research into intimate partner violence, which may be an under-recognized source of unfavorable cognitive aging,” says Jillian Baker, lead researcher from the University of Michigan.

“It’s important for health care providers to understand the association between physical violence and mental health,” says Dr. Stephanie Faubion, medical director for The Menopause Society.

“The high incidence of intimate partner violence should further prompt health care professionals to open the conversation about this sensitive issue with their patients.”