Women victims of sexual assault are at increased risk of high blood pressure

Unfortunately, violence against women is common, be it sexual assault, harassment or verbal abuse. These traumatic events constitute a risk factor, increasingly considered by doctors, in the development of mental illnesses, but also physical ones. childhood trauma and rape by a relative are particularly studied. But women experience other, less visible forms of violence, including in the workplace.

A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and recently published in Journal of the American Heart Associationlooked at the consequences of sexual violence in the workplace suffered by nurses. The conclusions of this follow-up, which lasted seven years, indicate that the victims are more likely to develop hypertension, a well-known catalyst for cardiovascular disease.

Consequences on the mental and physical health of victims of sexual violence

Since 1989, the NIH has been carrying out a large-scale study of the health of nurses (the NHS II study). More than 110,000 women, aged 20 to 40, take part. In 2008, a subgroup of 50,000 women was created to study the effects of sexual violence and other trauma.

The study presented here followed approximately 30,000 of these women, from 2008 to 2015. They provided information on their experiences of violence or sexual harassment via a standard form. Among them, 7,096 nurses developed hypertension, ie 21% of the workforce, at the end of the follow-up; 23% of them have suffered sexual assault, 12% sexual harassment and 6% both at their workplace. Compared to women who have not had these traumatic experiences, victims of sexual assault and harassment have a greater risk of having hypertension during their lifetime (HR or hazard ratio: 1.21) , followed by victims of sexual harassment (HR: 1.15) and victims of sexual assault (HR: 1.11). This risk persists after adjustment with other parameters such as lifestyle or chronic diseases.

An underestimated risk factor

Although the study suffers from certain limitations – particularly in the data which are reported by the victims themselves and which lack precision on the violence suffered and the severity of hypertension – it underlines that sexual violence against women on their place of work, whatever their age, are associated with an increased risk factor for hypertension, in the same way as other psychosocial violence.

” This study underscores why it is important for health research to examine women’s experiences in matter sexual assault and sexual harassment at work. Future research can build on these findings to determine whether sexual violence andhigh blood pressure are causally linked and identify a possible underlying mechanism », concludes Laura Rowland, researcher at National Institute of Mental Health.