The latest research in women’s health reveals a risk one might not have considered: Stalking.
According to a new study from Harvard University, a woman’s risk of developing heart disease, as well as other ailments, increases by 41% after they are stalked. For the study, published recently in the journal “Circulation,” researchers pored over two decades’ worth of data to see if incidents of stroke and heart disease were more likely in stalking victims.
They were – and for those who had to get restraining orders, the risk went up more, by 70%.
“Stalking is often seen as a form of violence that does not involve physical contact, which may make it seem less serious,” Rebecca B. Lawn, a study author and research associate in epidemiology at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said. But “stalking can be chronic, and women often report making significant changes in response, such as moving,” placing undue stress on victim’s psyches – and bodies.
In addition to the cardiovascular concerns that arise, Harvard researchers also found upticks in diabetes and depression among the victims studied.
This news comes as photo- and video-sharing site Instagram rolls out a new feature: Instagram Maps, which offers a way to see where a given user is posting from, using geolocation data – and it’s highly accurate. Meta, the company that owns Instagram (as well as Facebook), debuted the new offering earlier this month.
And they did so quietly. The lack of notice about the Maps feature, combined with its ability to show users’ near-exact locations, sparked concern. “Instagram randomly updating their app to include a maps feature without actually alerting people is so incredibly dangerous to anyone who has a restraining order and actively making sure their abuser can’t stalk their location online,” one Instagram user noted on the site’s micro-blogging service.
In addition to safer online practices, experts say the medical community also needs to be more aware of these health risks. Indeed, previous studies have shown relationships between stress and heart problems – yet experts often fail to make the connection, Lawn says.
“Although violence against women is common, and evidence has linked violence with consequences for women’s later heart health,” she noted, “it is still not widely recognized or routinely considered by health care professionals as a potential cardiovascular risk factor among women.”
