Being stalked is not just a traumatic psychological experience — it may also be a life-threatening one. 

A new Harvard-led study has found that women who experience stalking face a 41% higher risk of heart attack or stroke, with the danger climbing to 70% among those who obtained restraining orders against their stalkers.

The findings, published in the journal Circulation, draw on two decades of data from the Nurses’ Health Study II, a landmark project tracking risk factors for major chronic illnesses. Researchers say the evidence underscores how forms of violence often dismissed as “non-physical” can have devastating biological consequences.

“Stalking is often seen as a form of violence that does not involve physical contact, which may make it seem less serious,” said Rebecca B. Lawn, study co-author and research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “But it can be chronic and profoundly disruptive, forcing women to uproot their lives.”

A silent driver of heart disease

The study revealed a two-way connection: women who suffered cardiovascular events were also more likely to report having been stalked in the past. About 12 per cent of participants reported stalking, and 6 per cent reported seeking restraining orders.

Researchers believe the heightened cardiovascular risk is rooted in psychological distress, which can damage blood vessels, disrupt the nervous system, and trigger harmful biological changes over time. Chronic stress, they note, can be as dangerous as more familiar risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, or diabetes.

Why it matters

Stalking is alarmingly common — one in three women experience it in their lifetime, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet it is rarely considered by healthcare professionals when assessing cardiovascular risk.

“Although violence against women is common, and evidence has linked violence with consequences for women’s later heart health, it is still not widely recognised or routinely considered by healthcare professionals as a potential cardiovascular risk factor,” Lawn noted.

Traditional triggers of heart disease — hypertension, diabetes, smoking, lack of exercise, and family history — remain important. But the Harvard team stresses that emotional trauma and gender-based violence must also be treated as critical determinants of women’s long-term heart health.