WOMEN who have experienced domestic violence still have a higher risk of traumatic brain injury and mental health conditions decades after escaping their abusers, according to a new study.

About 30 per cent of women across the world have faced domestic violence, but a University of Glasgow study — funded by the Drake Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, the Medical Research Council, NHS Research Scotland, the Alzheimer’s Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association — has found that issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can linger long after the physical abuse ends.

The research, published in the British Medical Journal, used data from the multicentre Prevent Dementia Study, finding that 14 per cent of its 632 female participants between 20 and 59 had faced domestic violence and physical abuse.

Comparing them to those not exposed to such abuse, researchers found that domestic violence was associated with higher traumatic brain injury exposure, and higher lifetime and ongoing diagnoses of mental health disorders, such as depression, anxiety, sleep disorders and PTSD.

The study found that on average those effects were not only common in the immediate aftermath of abuse, but that the effects lay dormant in survivors for an average of 27 years before being assessed.

Professor Willie Stewart said: “Given its prevalence, these findings highlight domestic violence as a public health issue with potential for long-lasting impacts on brain health.

“Our work also reinforces the need for more research in this previously neglected area.”

Dr Graciela Muniz-Terrera, a co-author on the study, said: “This study highlights the importance of including questions about domestic violence in population research to advance our knowledge about its long-term effects.”