Traumatic experiences implicated in CVD risk in women

Interpersonal violence, such as childhood abuse and intimate partner violence (IPV), is associated with a heightened risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women, according to a study.

The analysis included 2,201 women aged 42–52 years and underwent up to 16 in‐person evaluations over 22 years. During these evaluations, the participants completed questionnaires (including of childhood physical/sexual abuse, adult physical/sexual abuse, and IPV), reported CVD events (myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, and revascularization), and underwent physical measures and phlebotomy.

On average, the population was aged 46 years, overweight, and nonsmoking. About 25 percent of the women reported a history of childhood abuse, 23 percent reported a history of adult abuse, and 26 percent reported having experienced IPV. Almost a quarter of women reported more than two traumas.

In multivariable Cox proportional hazards models, women with vs without a childhood abuse history had a much higher risk of incident CVD (hazard ratio [HR], 1.65, 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.12–2.44; p=0.01), with the associations strongest for childhood sexual abuse.

Meanwhile, women with vs without IPV had a twofold higher risk of incident CVD (partnered and had IPV: HR, 2.06, 95 percent CI, 1.01–4.23; p=0.04; no partner at the time of IPV assessment: HR, 1.79, 95 percent CI, 0.91–3.53; p=0.09). Systolic blood pressure partially mediated relationships between IPV and CVD.

Adult abuse showed no significant association with CVD.

The findings underscore the potential of interpersonal violence prevention for CVD risk reduction in women.