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Sex abuse linked to long-term health effects in women

Sexual harassment and assault can take a long-term toll on women's health. That's according to a new University of Pittsburgh study of over 300 middle-aged women between 40 and 60 years old.

More than one in three women have experienced sexual assault, according to the Centers for Disease Contro and Preventionl. Up to 75% of women are estimated to have experienced sexual harassment on the job.

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Anxiety, depression, insomnia and high blood pressure are just a few of the serious health consequences facing women who have survived sexual assault, according to the study which has been published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

Survivors of sexual assault were three times more likely to be depressed than women without a history of sexual trauma.

They were also two times more likely to have high anxiety and sleep issues. Women who reported sexual harassment at work had higher blood pressure than women who didn't, putting them at serious risk for stroke, aneurysms, kidney disease and the number one killer of women in the U.S.: heart disease.

The researchers say their study shows the critical need to reduce the rate of sexual assault to protect women's health.