Study: Stalking Increases Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke In Women

JAKARTA - A recent study found that women who had been victims of stalking (stalking) had a higher risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke in the long term.

The research, published in the journal Circulation, follows more than 66 thousand women over 20 years. As a result, those who reported having been victims of stalking by ex-partners, current partners, or others, had a 41 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease than women had never experienced this.

The risk increased more sharply in women who even asked for a legal protection order, which was 70 percent more likely to catch heart disease or stroke.

According to Karestan Koenen, professor of psychiatric epidemiology at Harvard University as well as lead author of this study, many people think stalking is not a big deal because it usually does not involve physical contact.

"In fact, stalking has a serious psychological impact that can have an impact on physical health," he said, quoted from the Euro News website.

He added that forms of non-physical violence such as stalking should be seen as a health threat, as serious as other risk factors such as smoking or a bad diet.

Data from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states that around 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men in the United States have experienced stalking. Meanwhile in the European Union, the figure is an average of 18.5 percent, with variations ranging from 8.5 percent in Lithuania to 32.4 percent in Slovakia.

Stalking can be in the form of unwanted repetitive behavior, such as following victims, spying, arriving without being invited, to online harassment.

Unfortunately, this issue is rarely discussed in medical research although the impact can cause deep psychological trauma and physical health problems.

This study used data from a long-term survey of female nurses in the United States. Information about the sampling experience was collected in 2001, then participants were monitored until 2021.

At the beginning of the study, none of the participants had cardiovascular disease. However, about 12 percent reported having been victims of stalking.

Over the next two decades, about 3 percent of women have heart disease or stroke. The highest risk is found in groups with a history of stalking.

The researchers suspect psychological stress due to stalking can disrupt the nervous system, affect the function of blood vessels, and change other biological mechanisms related to heart health.

Previous research shows that women from minority and low-income groups tend to be more vulnerable to stalking and other violence. Even so, these findings still emphasize the importance of prevention efforts.

"In health services, we need to increase screening for cases of stalking and other forms of violence, as well as provide resources so that women can protect themselves." said Koenen.

More broadly, the root problem of the cause of violence against women must be seriously handled at the community level.