Note: There may be some things in this article that could be triggering to victims of sexual assault or intimate partner violence.
Forensic nurses occupy a unique space in the nursing world. These nurses treat patients who have been the victims of sexual assault and/or intimate partner violence. These nurses fulfill all the roles of a typical nurse, but they also function in a counselor capacity and collect victim accounts to be used in legal cases (hence the moniker “forensic”).
In addition to being faculty at BYU College of Nursing, Dr. Stacie Hunsaker works as a forensic nurse for Wasatch Forensic Nurses. One of her colleagues there mentioned that there is a dearth of research related to traumatic brain injury in sexual assault victims. While thorough exams do include a neurological aspect to them, little has really been studied so far. Dr. Hunsaker knew she had to fix that problem and got right to work.
To begin their research project, Autumn Ferguson, Dr. Hunsaker’s research assistant, compiled a comprehensive literature review of the research previously done in regard to traumatic brain injuries in general. Autumn then looked at the analysis, qualitative research techniques, and tools utilized in these studies.
She found that there has been far more research done on traumatic brain injuries in males than in females (more than a thousand for men with only about 150 for women). There was also scant research specifically related to brain injuries in sexual assault and intimate partner violence cases.
By nature, these attacks are debilitating both physically and psychologically. Intimate partner violence, disproportionately affecting women, has been called a significant public health issue by the CDC. Even the more common injuries, primarily relating to strangulation, can cause some brain issues with blood circulation.
Dr. Hunsaker hopes to close the gap, not only by conducting research, but by increasing awareness and care by teaching nurses to assess for traumatic injury and teaching patients how to appropriately care for themselves afterwards.
The hardest part? It can be very difficult for clinicians to tell when a woman is experiencing the symptoms of a traumatic brain injury, as the symptoms are quite ambiguous.
“They could ask, ‘Are you not sleeping, are you forgetting things, do you have mood swings?’ I think any woman would answer 'yes' to those questions,” said Autumn. “That's why it's really important that we are training nurses to be meticulous.”
While this research is only in its early stages, the data and information they are finding now will serve as the foundation for future efforts.
Because she was conducting this research, Autumn found she could assist others. “Looking at data, it proves that ages 12 to 34 are at highest risk for rape or sexual assault, and that's my age group,” she said.
Autumn also had the opportunity to help a friend’s sister because of these studies. This girl was a victim of date-rape at BYU-Idaho. She encouraged this friend’s sister to go to the hospital. “It felt empowering to know I had been prepared to answer that question. Having education is so empowering,” said Autumn. “Even if we can help other people know a little bit about sexual assault, they can make more informed decisions.” Autumn also worked at a booth for an event to raise awareness on how to prevent sexual assault and how to support sexual assault survivors.
In the future, Dr. Hunsaker and her team hope to use their discharge teaching sheet that employees at domestic violence shelters can utilize to coach them on recognizing potential traumatic brain injuries. These employees may not be trained in healthcare, but they can refer those who come to their shelters for further medical care.
“The important part of that healing [for concussions] is in those first few weeks,” said Dr. Hunsaker. “We need to teach those patients and reinforce concepts like give your brain rest, allow time to heal. There is a fair amount of research that shows how that can improve long term outcomes. Right now, we are giving them good information about when to worry if things get worse (when to come back to the emergency department), but we could do a better job in teaching them how to care for themselves.”
Autumn and Dr. Hunsaker presented at a the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault on March 28, 2025. They got to share their findings with colleagues throughout the state during an hour presentation.
Reflecting on the spiritual nature of the work, Dr. Hunsaker shared that she “treats them as I would think the Savior would treat them. They've had hard lives…, and they are so grateful to have someone listen to them and care for them one-on one for even a few hours. I think I can share the love of the Savior with them by the way I treat them, and that's why I do this. I don't need another job, and I don't necessarily love working at night or getting called on the weekend. But every time I go out, I have such a good experience where I feel that love from the Savior for these people.”
Through their research and compiled tools, both hope that these sometimes-hidden injuries can be brought to light so patients can receive proper care.