Exposure to intimate violence is a pervasive stressor associated with adverse impact on womens'psycholological and physical health. No prospective study has examined whether the prevalent and often severe stressor of intimate violence is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events. We propose to examine type of abuse (physical, sexual or emotional) and lifestage at abuse (childhood, adolescence, or adulthood) as predictors of incident hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and CVD events in a prospective cohort of 68,518 women who answered a detailed lifetime abuse questionnaire in 2001 as participants in the Nurses'Health Study II. Preliminary retrospective data from this cohort show dose- response associations of abuse exposures with CVD risk factors, myocardial infarction, and stroke. Primary aims will test the associations of emotional, physical and sexual abuse with incident coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia. Secondary aims will explore whether polymorphisms in the glucocorticoid receptor, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFa), serotonin transporter (5-HTT) and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genes interact with abuse history to alter CVD risk in women. We have collected abuse histories from 68,518 participants who are now being followed prospectively for incident disease events, making this the largest cohort ever assembled to examine the impact of abuse. We have also collected data on social support, coping style, depressive symptoms, socioeconomic position, and lifestyle risk factors for CVD, which will permit us to explore issues of confounding and effect modification. The ongoing NHSII cohort presents an ideal population and working infrastructure to facilitate the carrying out of the proposed studies at relatively low cost. The availability of biological samples already collected allows us to examine gene by environment interactions cost-effectively.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01HL081557-05
Application #
8077300
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-HOP-S (03))
Program Officer
Czajkowski, Susan
Project Start
2007-06-01
Project End
2013-04-30
Budget Start
2011-05-01
Budget End
2013-04-30
Support Year
5
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$587,732
Indirect Cost
Name
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Department
Type
DUNS #
030811269
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02115
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Mason, Susan M; Flint, Alan J; Roberts, Andrea L et al. (2014) Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and food addiction in women by timing and type of trauma exposure. JAMA Psychiatry 71:1271-8
Mason, Susan M; Flint, Alan J; Field, Alison E et al. (2013) Abuse victimization in childhood or adolescence and risk of food addiction in adult women. Obesity (Silver Spring) 21:E775-81
Mason, Susan M; Wright, Rosalind J; Hibert, Eileen N et al. (2013) Intimate partner violence and incidence of type 2 diabetes in women. Diabetes Care 36:1159-65
Mason, Susan M; Wright, Rosalind J; Hibert, Eileen N et al. (2012) Intimate partner violence and incidence of hypertension in women. Ann Epidemiol 22:562-7
Rich-Edwards, Janet W; Mason, Susan; Rexrode, Kathryn et al. (2012) Physical and sexual abuse in childhood as predictors of early-onset cardiovascular events in women. Circulation 126:920-7
Riley, E H; Wright, R J; Jun, H J et al. (2010) Hypertension in adult survivors of child abuse: observations from the Nurses' Health Study II. J Epidemiol Community Health 64:413-8
Stuebe, Alison M; Kleinman, Ken; Gillman, Matthew W et al. (2010) Duration of lactation and maternal metabolism at 3 years postpartum. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 19:941-50
Rich-Edwards, Janet W; Spiegelman, Donna; Lividoti Hibert, Eileen N et al. (2010) Abuse in childhood and adolescence as a predictor of type 2 diabetes in adult women. Am J Prev Med 39:529-36