Women Who Experience Stalking May Face Higher Risk of Stroke and Heart Disease
A compelling new study published in Circulation, the American Heart Association’s flagship journal, reveals that women who have experienced stalking face a significantly higher risk of developing heart disease or stroke. Women with such experiences are more than 40% more likely to face cardiovascular issues, highlighting stalking as a serious health risk.
The research, led by teams at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of British Columbia, used data from the Nurses’ Health Study II. Between 2001 and 2021, researchers tracked more than 66,000 women, all free from cardiovascular disease at the study’s start. During this period, 11.7% reported experiencing stalking, while 5.6% had obtained a restraining order—viewed by researchers as a marker of more severe violence
Compared to women who hadn’t been stalked, those who had were 41% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease over the 20-year period. The risk climbed to 70% among women who obtained restraining orders.
These elevated risks persisted even after accounting for typical factors such as lifestyle, medications, existing health conditions, childhood abuse, and symptoms of depression.
“Stalking is often seen as a form of violence that does not involve physical contact, which may make it seem less serious,” said Rebecca B. Lawn, a research associate in epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.
But it can be "chronic" and may lead to significant changes in women, she added.
Lawn said more research, as well as training for health care professionals, is needed to understand the link between stalking or obtaining a restraining order and women’s cardiovascular health.
“We also need to increase awareness about the potential health harms of experiencing violence and provide women with help and resources,” she said.
Experts suggest that the link between stalking and heart disease may stem from chronic psychological distress, which disrupts nervous system functioning and impairs blood vessel health.
This study urges healthcare professionals to consider non-physical violence as a critical cardiovascular risk factor and calls for increased awareness, early screening, and supportive interventions for affected women
Dr Bhumika Maikhuri is a Consultant Orthodontist at Sanjeevan Hospital, Delhi. She is also working as a Correspondent and a Medical Writer at Medical Dialogues. She completed her BDS from Dr D Y patil dental college and MDS from Kalinga institute of dental sciences. Apart from dentistry, she has a strong research and scientific writing acumen. At Medical Dialogues, She focusses on medical news, dental news, dental FAQ and medical writing etc.