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From fear to heart failure: Stalked women face 40% higher heart health risk
New Delhi
Stalking is not only a violation of safety and dignity, it may also pose a serious threat to women's long-term heart health, revealed a recent study.
What did the study find?
Published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, the study, titled 'Experiences of Stalking and Obtaining a Restraining Order Are Associated With Onset of Cardiovascular Events in Women: A Prospective Analysis in the Nurses' Health Study II', found that women who have been stalked face a 41 per cent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and strokes. The study highlighted that for women who obtained a restraining order, often a marker of severe and sustained violence, the risk increased by 70 per cent.
Led by US-based researchers, the study analysed 20 years of data from 66,270 women, average age 46, identifying stalking as a serious yet often overlooked risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including heart attacks and strokes.
The risks stayed high even after accounting for factors like smoking, BMI, diabetes, high blood pressure, childhood abuse, and depression.
Why would stalking affect the heart?
The study reveals, stalking may not always involve physical harm, but it can cause chronic psychological distress such as fear, anxiety, and hypervigilance that disrupts the nervous system, damages blood vessel function, and triggers harmful stress responses. Over time, these biological and behavioural effects can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Restraining orders and higher health risks
A restraining order is a legal document designed to keep a perpetrator away from the victim. According to the study, while it can help prevent further violence, obtaining one often means the person has already faced severe and sustained harassment or abuse, experiences that can leave long-lasting effects on mental and physical health.
The study authors emphasised that stalking is often seen as less serious but can be chronic and damaging. According to them, experts urge women to seek both legal protection and medical care. If you have a history of stalking or severe harassment, it's important to monitor heart health regularly, manage stress, and get support from counselling or advocacy services. Prevention, early intervention, and raising awareness can help reduce both violence and its long-term health consequences.
'Overall, our findings highlight the urgent need to consider violence against women, a prevalent yet underexplored risk factor for CVD, in understanding women's health and orienting priorities for public health interventions,' the researchers said in the study.
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