Stalking not only invades your privacy but also quietly leaves a mark on your heart. According to new research, women who had been stalked or obtained a restraining order were more likely to develop heart disease or stroke later in life.
According to the data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on intimate partner violence, about one third of women have experienced stalking at some point in their lives.
Rebecca B. Lawn, study author and a research associate at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the University of British Columbia, highlighted that violence against women can have long-lasting health effects.
“Stalking is often seen as a form of violence that does not involve physical contact, which may make it seem less serious,” said Lawn. As a result, doctors often fail to recognize it as a possible risk factor.
In her previous research, Lawn and her team found that sexual assault and workplace harassment could lead to high blood pressure in women.
The latest research goes a step further, focusing on how being stalked may contribute to long-term cardiovascular problems.
Stalking linked to heart disease
To investigate this, researchers analyzed data collected from 66,270 participants, aged 36 to 56 at the start of the study. They were part of the Nurses’ Health Study II, an ongoing U.S. survey launched in 1989.
The study ran for twenty years, ending in 2021. In 2001, the women reported whether they had been stalked or had requested a restraining order.
At the start, none of the participants had a history of stroke or heart attack. The researchers followed them for the next 20 years, tracking reports of stalking against them and the development of heart diseases.
This approach allowed the team to compare the cardiovascular health of women who had experienced stalking or obtained a restraining order with that of those who had not.
What the study revealed
The analysis revealed that nearly 12 percent of participants experienced stalking, and about six percent obtained a restraining order. Around three percent of all participants developed heart disease or stroke during the study period.
Among women who had experienced stalking, roughly 41 percent showed an increased likelihood of developing heart problems. Those who had obtained a restraining order faced a 70 percent greater risk of suffering from the disease.
Medical records also revealed that women with a prior history of heart conditions or stroke were more likely to have experienced stalking. These patterns caught the attention of cardiology experts.
Harmony R. Reynolds, immediate past chair of the American Heart Association’s Clinical Cardiology & Stroke Women’s Health Science Committee, said she was surprised to see this link.
“People subjected to intimate partner violence face about a 30 percent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the next few years compared to others,” said Reynolds.
She added that childhood trauma, financial stress, and grief are also known risk factors.
Experts warn about the health risks
“Our findings suggest that stalking should not be minimized. Stalking can be chronic, and women often report making significant changes in response, such as moving,” said Lawn.
Reynolds suggested that stress might be a connecting factor that leads to heart problems. “Perhaps because it is our nature to re-think about things that happen to us, making us experience the situation over and over,” she said.
According to her, social support can help reduce the effects of stress. Talking to trusted family, friends, community members, or professionals can also be beneficial.
The psychological stress resulting from being stalked could also contribute to adverse effects on heart health. But researchers have yet to explore its detailed biological mechanism more fully.
According to Lawn, health professionals should take the initiative to raise awareness about these potential health risks and provide resources to support women.
Future stalking and heart health research
While these findings are significant, they may not apply to all populations.
A limitation of the study is that it focused only on non-Hispanic white women who were U.S. registered nurses.
Previous studies have shown that stalking and other forms of violence are perpetrated more commonly on women from minority social or ethnic groups and those with lower incomes.
The study also relied on self-reported incidents of stalking and obtaining a restraining order, which may sometimes be an inaccurate means of collecting data.
This study opens the door for future research that could confirm the effect of stalking on women’s health in the long term. Researchers could also expand the study to include women from diverse backgrounds.
They can also focus on understanding the mechanism by which chronic stress from stalking leads to heart conditions. This could help doctors spot problems earlier.
In the future, better screening, early counseling, and community support could help reduce the hidden health toll of being stalked, which would protect both the mind and the heart.
The full study was published in the journal Circulation.
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