Eighty-one percent of female survivors struggle with a chronic health problem brought on by the ongoing stress of living with an abuser. Some have wheezing from asthma, because a partner might control finances that prevent them from picking up their medication or mock them when they use an inhaler. Some abusers won’t allow the use of contraception, resulting unintended pregnancies. And sometimes survivors turn to unhealthy behaviors, like drinking and smoking, to cope with stress. That’s not all: Still more get sick with conditions triggered by stress-related inflammation like diabetes, arthritis, and hypertension. (More magazine has an excellent article, based on research funded by Verizon Foundation, about domestic violence and how stress triggers these illnesses.) Source: Centers for Disease Control and Verizon Foundation/More Magazine
Posted on: Thu, 06 Nov 2014 19:34:02 +0000