Women who are survivors of sexual assault may face physiological complications along with psychological conditions.
Women who are survivors of sexual assault may face physiological complications along with psychological conditions.
The University of Pittsburgh conducted research in 2021 in an attempt to analyze the effects of trauma on the female brain. Rebecca Thurston, a professor and director of the Women’s Biobehavioral Health Laboratory at the university’s Graduate School of Public Health, authored the study.
“Based upon population data, most women [experience] their sexual assaults when they are in early adolescence and early adulthood,” she stated, “so these are likely early experiences that we’re seeing the marks of later in life.”
Prior research has shown that sexual trauma can lead to conditions like elevated blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and three times the risk of carotid plaque buildup. These issues alone put patients at a high risk of developing heart disease.
Results from a 2015 study revealed that a history of childhood sexual assault “was associated with irregularities in the cortical and subcortical regions of the brain.” These abnormalities can lead to future cognitive, behavioral, and psychological health conditions.
In 2018, Thurston found that women who experienced prior sexual assault were “three times more likely to experience depression” and “twice as likely to have elevated anxiety and insomnia” than women who have not endured these traumas. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health conditions are more likely to have detrimental physical consequences.
Additionally, sexual abuse can cause survivors to feel as though they lack autonomy and safety. Because of this, someone who has experienced sexual assault may feel as though they are constantly anxious or hypervigilant.
Statistically, more than 1 in 3 women in the US experience sexual assault at least once throughout their lives, and this abuse may begin at an early age. The CDC states that more than 4 in 5 female rape survivors were first abused before age 25, and almost half were raped for the first time as a minor.
Thurston firmly believes that healthcare providers everywhere must keep these statistics in mind and ask patients about prior sexual abuse. “Absolutely share this information,” she said. “This is not your fault, so please share what you are comfortable with disclosing. It’s important information that has implications for your physical health and your emotional well-being.” This knowledge should prompt medical teams to monitor survivors’ cardiovascular risk factors carefully throughout the years.
The University of Pittsburgh’s research from 2021 studied 145 women with an average age of 59. Utilizing MRI technology, the team investigated the volume of white matter hyperintensities that appeared in participants’ brains. High amounts of these brain matter lesions can cause Alzheimer's disease, dementia, strokes, and death.
The study “considered the number of trauma exposures in relation to white matter hyperintensities, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, depressive symptoms, childhood abuse, and substance use.”
Women who had experienced previous trauma – specifically sexual assault – had a significantly lesser volume of white matter hyperintensities than those who did not.
“Your body has a memory that may not be fully manifesting through psychological symptoms,” Thurston said. “The sexual assault also leaves footprints of the trauma in our brains and our bodies.”
Authors: Alexis Kabat and Andy Goldwasser
