Date of Award

Summer 8-22-2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D. in Psychology

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences, Psychology

First Advisor

Anne P. DePrince

Second Advisor

Kim A. Gorgens

Third Advisor

Lauren McGrath

Fourth Advisor

Michelle Rozenman

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

All Rights Reserved
All Rights Reserved.

Keywords

Executive function, Intimate partner violence, Social information processing, Traumatic brain injury

Abstract

Pediatric traumatic brain injury (TBI) is linked with social problems in peer relationships that can last into adulthood. Little is known about how social problems impact the development of intimate relationships as pediatric TBI survivors grow up. This study addressed this gap by examining risk of intimate partner violence (IPV) in a sample of 50 young adult survivors of pediatric TBI prior to age 13 (M age = 22.96, SD = 1.70, 60% women) and tested social information processing (SIP) as a potential process through which TBI influences risk for IPV. Participants were recruited via Prolific and social media advertising to participate in a 90-minute study assessing history of pediatric TBI, IPV victimization and perpetration, SIP, and environmental and psychopathological factors. Findings showed that 28 participants reported perpetration (54%) and 39 participants (78%) endorsed victimization. Multiple mediation analyses tested the impact of an insult-related factor (age at first injury) on IPV through SIP skills (emotion perception, executive function, and social problem-solving). Age at first injury was indirectly related to IPV perpetration and victimization through executive function, such that younger age at injury was associated with poorer executive functioning, which was in turn associated with higher IPV perpetration and victimization. These findings suggest that executive function interventions in pediatric TBI rehabilitation may have long-term benefits not only for academic and peer outcomes but also for reducing IPV risk in adulthood.

Copyright Date

8-2026

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Rebecca R. Suzuki

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

English (eng)

Extent

69 pgs

File Size

739 KB

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