sexual harassment victims more likely to develop high blood pressure: study

thirty per cent of canadians report sexual harassment at work, 94 per cent of whom were women.

by maija kappler

published mar 01, 2022

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sexual harassment victims more likely to develop high blood pressure: study

if it's uncontrolled, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, or heart failure. getty

only in relatively recent years have experts started to understand the psychological impact of sexual assault. but new research shows there may be physical implications that need attention, too. according to a study published last week, one out of five women who experience sexual abuse will develop high blood pressure within seven years. the study, published in the journal of the american heart association, used data from another study that has been following the health of 115,000 women since 1989. in 2008, the women filled out questionnaire about sexual assault and harassment. “sexual violence was common in our sample,” researchers note: 23 per cent of women reported they had been sexually assaulted, 12 per cent said they had been sexually harassed at work, and six per cent had experienced both.

during follow-up research in 2015, the scientists noticed that many of the women had developed hypertension, or high blood pressure. they realized a correlation: the women who had experienced sexual assault or harassment were more likely to have high blood pressure than those who hadn’t reported any sexual violence. in comparing women with no history of cardiovascular disease or heart conditions of any kind, across socioeconomic status, education level, and rate of physical activity, they found that 21 per cent of the women who had experienced sexual assault or harassment had developed high blood pressure within seven years. the highest risk was among women who had experienced both assault and harassment.

researchers also note that the hypertension risk appears to be specific to sexual assault. women who had not experienced any sexual violence, but who had had other kinds of trauma — accidents, disasters, unexpected deaths — didn’t appear to have any consistent increased hypertension risk.

high blood pressure rarely has symptoms, according to the mayo clinic, although some people may experience headaches, nosebleeds or shortness of breath. if it’s uncontrolled, high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, strokes, aneurysms, or heart failure.

thirty per cent of women and girls above 15 have experienced sexual assault, according to the canadian women’s foundation. those numbers are even high for women who are part of marginalized groups, like indigenous women or disabled women. and according to a 2017 public consultation, 30 per cent of canadians said they had experienced sexual harassment at work. of that group, 94 per cent were women.

“sexual assault and workplace sexual harassment are prospectively associated with greater risk of hypertension,” the study said. “reducing such violence is important in its own right and may also improve women’s cardiovascular health.”