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Affecting between 20% to 30% of women in Europe and North America, gender-based violence can become a persistent source of stress lasting for years and even decades. Spanish and Israeli researchers conducted a new study analyzing the consequences of this chronic stress. They examined its impact on women’s ability to discern threatening situations and, more broadly, on their mental well-being.
About the Research
The risk of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is two-four times higher among women with violence experience. This devastating impact of violence-induced stress persists even years after the abusive relationships have ended. However, the underlying cause of this increased risk has remained unknown.
The study involved 105 women divided into two groups. The first group comprised 69 individuals who were victims of gender violence, while the second, a control group, consisted of 36 women. Both groups underwent two tests. In the first test, participants were exposed to a standardized stress-inducing situation, involving simulated job interviews and mathematical problem-solving. Saliva samples were collected afterward to measure the physiological response of these women to acute stress. In the second phase, women were shown neutral faces or faces displaying threatening expressions on a screen. Their attention was measured during the process.
How Gender-Based Violence Impacts Stress Response System
A team of researchers from Parc Taulí Hospital, the Department of Cell Biology and the Institute of Neurosciences, Physiology, and Immunology at UAB (Barcelona), and Tel Aviv University observed intriguing patterns in the attention test conducted on women who experienced gender violence. Some women exhibited heightened vigilance towards threatening faces, while others actively avoided them. Among the vigilant women who had been victims of gender violence, there was a significant increase in their stress response, particularly in elevated cortisol levels, compared to the control group. On the other hand, the women who adopted an avoidance coping strategy had lower levels of cortisol and α-amylase.
The results indicate that chronic exposure to stress has an impact on biological stress response systems (the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the sympathetic nervous system), which is conditioned by the way they respond to danger signals (threatening faces). Both aspects could be related to an increased risk of mental illness.”
Professor Antonio Armario, UAB Department of Cell Biology and the UAB Institute of Neurosciences, Physiology and Immunology
The researchers concluded: the avoidance behavior regarding threats is associated with blunted acute cortisol response among women facing chronic stress. These patterns may have long-term consequences on their mental well-being.
Chronic elevation of cortisol levels can induce chemical changes in the brain. They may lead to various issues such as depression, anxiety disorders, weight gain, impaired cognitive functions, and disruptions in the menstrual cycle. These findings underscore the importance of addressing gender violence as a critical public health concern and providing support to those affected to mitigate the adverse effects on their psychological health.
