Risk for Incident CVD Increased for Women Who Reported Experiencing Stalking

MONDAY, Aug. 11, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Women who report experiencing stalking and obtaining a restraining order have an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a study published online Aug. 11 in Circulation.

Rebecca B. Lawn, Ph.D., from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, and colleagues examined whether being stalked or obtaining a restraining order was associated with an increased risk for incident CVD over 20 years in the Nurses” Health Study II cohort. Cox proportional hazards regression models were conducted among 66,270 women free of CVD in 2001; CVD events, including self-reported myocardial infarction or stroke, were examined through 2021.

Overall, 11.7 and 5.6 percent of women reported experiencing stalking and obtaining a restraining order, respectively. The researchers found that 2.8 percent of women reported new-onset CVD during follow-up (median, 19.9 years). After adjustment for sociodemographic and childhood or family factors, women who reported experiencing stalking had an increased risk for self-reported incident CVD compared with women who had not been stalked (hazard ratio, 1.41). An increased risk for self-reported incident CVD was also seen for women who had versus had not obtained a restraining order (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.70). When considering self-reported myocardial infarction and stroke as separate outcomes, and confirmed or corroborated CVD, results were similar.

“A variety of stressful life experiences are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, including adverse childhood experiences, financial stressors, grief, and other experiences,” Harmony R. Reynolds, M.D., immediate past chair of the American Heart Association Clinical Cardiology & Stroke Women”s Health Science Committee, said in a statement. “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. While this study shows a more moderate risk, given the long-time frame, it highlights how feeling unsafe can affect the body, in addition to the mind.”

Two authors disclosed ties to industry.

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