Sexual assault, harassment linked to higher risk of high blood pressure in women, study finds

“Our finding that experiencing both sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment had the highest risk of hypertension underscores the potential compounding effects of multiple sexual violence exposures on women’s long-term cardiovascular health,” researchers said.

By
Joseph Guzman | Feb. 22, 2022

New research is shedding light on how women’s experiences of sexual assault and harassment can have negative effects on their cardiovascular health.

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association details how women who have experienced sexual assault, workplace sexual harassment or both may be at higher long-term risk of developing high blood pressure than women who have not.

Researchers behind the study analyzed data over seven years from the ongoing Nurses’ Health Study II, one of the largest prospective investigations into the risk factors for major chronic disease in women.

More than 33,000 study participants with no history of cardiovascular cerebrovascular disease in 2008 reported whether they had experienced sexual harassment at work or other unwanted sexual contact, as well as exposure to other traumas, such as an accident, disaster or death of a loved one. The final sample for the study included mostly white middle-aged women ages 43 to 64.

More:
https://thehill.com/changing-america/well-being/longevity/595369-sexual-assault-harassment-linked-to-higher-risk-of-high