Victimization of Persons with TBI or other Disabilities

by CDC

What is victimization?

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, victimization occurs when " ... a person suffers direct or threatened physical, emotional, and/or financial harm." Victimization can include physical violence, sexual violence, psychological or emotional abuse, and neglect. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention acknowledges such victimization as a serious and preventable public health problem.

Physical violence is "the intentional use of physical force with the potential for causing death, disability, injury, or harm." It includes, but is not limited to, "scratching, pushing, shoving, throwing, grabbing, biting choking, shaking, slapping, punching, burning, use of a weapon, and use of restraints or one's body, size, or strength against another person."

Sexual violence is "the use of physical force to compel a person to engage in a sexual act against his or her will, whether or not the act is completed; an attempted or completed sex act involving a person who is unable to understand the nature or condition of the act, to decline participation, or to communicate unwillingness to engage in the sexual act; and abusive sexual contact."

Emotional abuse occurs when a person is "threatened, terrorized, or severely rejected, ignored, or verbally attacked." It includes, but is not limited to, "episodes of yelling, threats, or acts meant to humiliate or hurt feelings."

Neglect is a "situation in which the basic needs of a person (such as food, clothing, hygiene, protection, or medical care) are temporarily or permanently not met." It includes, but is not limited to, "preventing a person with disabilities from using a wheelchair, cane, respirator, or other assistive devices as well as failure to address basic needs for food, clothing, shelter, or hygiene."

What is the extent of the problem?

Current knowledge about victimization of persons with disabilities is based on a small number of studies, and little is know about victimization of important groups such as persons with traumatic brain injury.

Persons with disabilities are 4 to 10 times more likely to become a victim of violence, abuse, or neglect than persons without disabilities.

hildren with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be physically or sexually abused as children without disabilities.

Similar proportions of women with and without disabilities report having experienced episodes of physical violence, sexual violence, or emotional abuse. Women with disabilities, however, report greater numbers of perpetrators and longer time periods of individual episodes than women without disabilities.

Where does victimization occur?

Victimization can occur anywhere; however, it usually happens in isolated locations where a person with disabilities has little or no control of the environment and the setting is away from the view of law enforcement.

Institutional settings are risk locations for persons with disabilities because multiple episodes of physical and sexual violence, emotional abuse, or neglect, or violence may be committed against them by staff or other residents and yet go undetected or unreported.

Who commits acts of victimization?

More men than women, either as intimate partners or as health care workers are reported to commit acts of physical violence, sexual violence, emotional abuse, or neglect against persons with disabilities.

Family members have been reported to commit crimes of victimization while caring for a relative with disabilities.

Personal home care attendants or health care workers at institutions have been reported to perpetrate emotional abuse and sexual violence against persons with disabilities.

In institutional settings, persons with disabilities may commit acts of physical violence or sexual violence against other persons with disabilities.

What factors make a person with disabilities susceptible to victimization?

Societal Factors:

Misperceptions about disability include "having a disability protects a person from victimization"; the risks to a person with disabilities are thought to be less than the risks to a person who has none.

Unemployment or underemployment of persons with disabilities restricts their income and limits their choices for caregivers, leading to an increased risk of physical and sexual violence, emotional abuse, or neglect.

Lack of money often causes persons with disabilities to live in areas where crime rates are high and the potential for physical and sexual violence is greater than in wealthier neighborhoods.

Community Factors:

Community resources for victims of physical and sexual violence, emotional abuse, or neglect are usually designed to assist people without disabilities. Organizations that provide such resources do not routinely collaborate with organizations that assist persons with disabilities.

Frequently, health care and law enforcement professionals are uninformed about victimization of persons with disabilities. Thus, they may not have the specialized knowledge or skills to identify and assist these individuals when victimized.

What factors make a person with a traumatic brain injury, or TBI, susceptible to victimization?

Relationship Factors:

Persons living with a TBI often have difficulty with anger management, which may prompt others to use undue physical force or inappropriate medication.

Misperceptions about TBI and its effects may lead to treatment that is demeaning or abusive.

TBI outcomes affect others' perceptions of a person's ability to honestly and accurately report an incident of victimization.

Persons with TBI or other disabilities may experience physical and sexual violence, emotional abuse, or neglect by a caregiver in return for access to medication, adaptive equipment, or assistance with activities of daily life.

Individual Factors:

A TBI can cause cognitive problems that reduce one's ability to perceive, remember, or understand risky situations that could lead to an incident of physical or sexual violence.

A TBI can cause cognitive problems that reduce one's ability to perceive, remember, or understand risky situations that could lead to an incident of physical or sexual violence.

Persons with a TBI may engage in at-risk drinking or drug use that place them in situations or relationships that lead to episodes of victimization.

In some persons, a TBI causes uninhibited behaviors that lead to risky sexual engagement, exposing them to HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases.

About the Author

www.cdc.gov
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is one of the 13 major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services, especially for those people who are least able to help themselves.