# Intimate Partner Violence and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Midlife Women

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2022 · $174,053

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Dr. Karen Jakubowski is an early career clinical scientist and emerging expert on the relationship of interpersonal
trauma to women’s cardiovascular health. The objective of this NHLBI Mentored Patient-Oriented Research
Career Development Award (K23) is to study the relation of intimate partner violence (IPV) to subclinical
cardiovascular disease (CVD) in midlife women and to test the role of poor sleep as a mechanism linking IPV
and subclinical CVD. CVD is the leading cause of death among women. Psychosocial factors, such as childhood
abuse and chronic stress in adulthood, have been related to CVD risk. However, IPV, a type of interpersonal
trauma reported by over 35% of U.S. women, is poorly understood in relation to CVD. Midlife is a critical time to
study relations of IPV to CVD. Midlife is a period of biological and psychosocial transition for women that is often
accompanied by accumulating CVD risk. Subclinical CVD measures provide objective indices of CVD risk among
midlife women and have not been studied in relation to IPV. Key mechanisms, such as poor sleep, may link IPV
to subclinical CVD. Understanding whether and how IPV is related to CVD risk is necessary to develop tailored
interventions to improve midlife women’s cardiovascular health. Prior research is limited by a reliance on
retrospective self-report measures of CVD and sleep, lack of consideration of contextual factors that initiate and
maintain poor sleep in trauma-exposed populations, and a focus on younger women. The proposed training plan
will address three training areas: (1) midlife women’s cardiovascular health and measurement of subclinical CVD,
(2) IPV and conducting research with trauma-exposed populations, and (3) ecological momentary assessment
(EMA) methods and analysis for behavioral sleep medicine research. The Candidate has assembled an
interdisciplinary mentorship team to achieve these training aims. The proposed study will investigate the relation
of IPV to subclinical CVD in a sample of midlife women with and without a past history of IPV (N=100), using a
multidimensional measure of IPV (type, chronicity) and indices of subclinical CVD (carotid intima media thickness
and plaque). Women will provide one week of EMA (sleep quality, vigilance) and actigraphy (sleep continuity),
which will provide objective indices of sleep and capture momentary social, cognitive, and behavioral factors that
initiate and maintain poor sleep in trauma-exposed samples. Study aims are to: (1) Test whether women with a
history of IPV show greater subclinical CVD than women without this history; (2) Test whether women with a
history of IPV show worse sleep and more vigilance than women without this history; (3) Test whether poor sleep
and vigilance are related to subclinical CVD and the role of sleep/vigilance in relations of IPV to subclinical CVD.
Results have the potential to elucidate the role of IPV in women’s cardiovascular health and suggest targets for...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10478244
- **Project number:** 5K23HL159293-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Karen P Jakubowski
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $174,053
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-01 → 2026-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10478244

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10478244, Intimate Partner Violence and Subclinical Cardiovascular Disease in Midlife Women (5K23HL159293-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10478244. Licensed CC0.

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