Overview

• The prospective analysis in the Nurses’ Health Study II tracked 66,270 cardiovascular-disease–free U.S. women from 2001 to 2021 based on their self-reported stalking and restraining order experiences.
• Women who reported stalking had a 41% greater likelihood of developing heart attack or stroke over two decades compared to those without such experiences.
• Participants who obtained restraining orders faced a 70% higher risk of cardiovascular disease than women who did not seek legal protection.
• These associations remained significant after adjusting for health behaviors, medical conditions, medications, childhood abuse, and depressive symptoms.
• Despite limitations such as a predominantly non-Hispanic white nurse cohort and reliance on self-reported histories, experts urge cardiovascular risk assessments to include violence exposure screening.