The Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence and Traumatic Brain Injury: A Call for Interdisciplinary Research

An emerging body of research suggests that survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) are at a high risk for sustaining traumatic brain injury (TBI). However, most scholars and practitioners working on the problem of IPV have not examined how TBI could be related to their familiar subject of study. Concomitantly, little work in the brain injury field has been done to examine TBI in the context of IPV. In this paper, we encourage cross-collaboration among these fields. To that end, we consider the relationship between IPV and TBI; the difficulty in detecting and measuring the IPV-related TBI and ethical concerns that may arise when addressing this issue. Our work emphasizes the need to recognize the complex interplay among psycho-physiological health and socio-cultural contexts. As such, we present a socio-ecological perspective of IPV-related TBI to provide a contextual framework to guide future interdisciplinary research. Finally, we outline directions for future research.     

"Promises and Pineapples": Post-First World War Soldier Settlement at Beerburrum, Queensland, 1916-1929

Queensland's post-First World War Soldier Settlement Scheme, begun with noble and optimistic intentions in 1916, officially terminated in 1929 after ignominious failure. There were a number of factors which contributed to the erosion and ultimate destruction of this phase of land settlement, but Commonwealth-State antagonism and the incompetence of many State agricultural advisers were certainly significant elements. Beerburrum, just north of Brisbane, was one of the largest groups of settlements which characterised Queensland's attempts to turn swords into ploughshares. Beerburrum soldier settlers and their families strove valiantly to extract a basic living in the face of overwhelming adversity, and an examination of their circumstances offers a valuable window into the trials and tribulations of the entire scheme.