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1 – 10 of over 2000
Article
Publication date: 16 February 2024

Ethan Barr and Andrew Newman

Stalking is considered a public health priority with a range of adverse outcomes. This paper aims to explore existing literature on children and adolescents as perpetrators of…

Abstract

Purpose

Stalking is considered a public health priority with a range of adverse outcomes. This paper aims to explore existing literature on children and adolescents as perpetrators of stalking, with a focus on rates of stalking and victim and perpetrator characteristics associated with stalking.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of research where stalking was engaged in by those 18 years old and younger was conducted, where 17 manuscripts met criteria for review.

Findings

This review found a prevalence of young people engaging in stalking of between 5.3% and 36%. Considerations including demographics, typologies, prior relationship characteristics, stalking and pursuit tactics, cyberstalking and a brief consideration of the impact are given.

Practical implications

Literature considering perpetration remains thin, and future research should seek to move towards a widely acceptable definition of stalking, as well as considering effective interventions for early intervention, and to consider the role of mental health services in supporting perpetrators and victims, who may not always be mutually exclusive groups.

Originality/value

This paper extends previous literature reviews; the authors understand this to be original work that contributes to a gap in the literature.

Details

The Journal of Forensic Practice, vol. 26 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8794

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Ethnographies of Law and Social Control
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-76231-128-6

Article
Publication date: 20 February 2023

Rachael Wheatley and Alan Underwood

This paper aims to consider stalking as an offending behaviour and the prevailing narratives associated with this offending behaviour given the increased attention of society and…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to consider stalking as an offending behaviour and the prevailing narratives associated with this offending behaviour given the increased attention of society and criminal justice. The stereotypes and labels associated with the offending behaviour often sensationalise aspects of those who engage in stalking. Frequently, individuals are portrayed as disturbed, psychopathic, mentally ill, violent and culturally deviant. Sometimes stalking behaviour is perversely downplayed as romantic perseverance. The impact of the stalker label extends outward from the act of marking legal and societal transgression, which impacts upon prospects for rehabilitation and desistance through the shaping of assumptions and maintenance of disempowering connotations.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper considers the impact of the stalking label as a therapeutic-, and perhaps rehabilitation-interfering problem for those who have stalked, drawing on recent research by Wheatley, Winder and Kuss (2020a).

Findings

It discusses the wide-ranging implications of labelling in this context and considers therapeutic approaches for intervention that may encourage rehabilitation engagement, mitigate shame and support desistance from a strengths-based perspective.

Originality/value

This paper draws on recent research exploring stalking case narratives of their own experiences of what drives stalking behaviour, existing labelling literature, and on specialist practitioners’ experiences of working with this group, to influence future thinking and research to address nuances highlighted.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 16 August 2022

Rachael Wheatley and Sam Baker

This discussion paper aims to highlight the role of occupational therapy (OT) in understanding stalking and in interventions designed to assist the perpetrator to lead a more…

Abstract

Purpose

This discussion paper aims to highlight the role of occupational therapy (OT) in understanding stalking and in interventions designed to assist the perpetrator to lead a more fulfilling life through healthier occupations.

Design/methodology/approach

This study highlights the role of OT in understanding stalking and in designing interventions to assist the perpetrator by extending discussions, drawing on the authors’ practitioner experiences and upon recent study findings on what drives men who stalk.

Findings

Stalking is a problem behaviour that is often effort-intense, all-consuming, emotionally driven and psychologically damaging for both victims and perpetrators. It consists of a patterned occupation of time which is overarchingly dysfunctional, yet intrinsically purposeful. As humans, our actions and occupations have meaning to us. Stalking can be conceptualised as a meaningful yet self-defeating and harmful pattern of occupations. This paper illustrates how stalking could be addressed through the additional contribution of OT to multi-agency approaches.

Research limitations/implications

This paper extends the discussion by drawing on the authors’ clinical practitioner experiences and upon recent study findings on what drives men who stalk.

Practical implications

This paper highlights the role of OT in understanding stalking and in interventions designed to assist the perpetrator to lead a more fulfilling life through healthier occupations.

Originality/value

This marriage of knowledge from OT and stalking research is set out in support of the application of OT within multi-agency approaches to working with people who stalk.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 November 2022

Lydia Caroline Cook and Simon C. Duff

The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of male cisgender and male transgender stalking perpetrators. There present study compared participants’ perceptions of whether…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to compare perceptions of male cisgender and male transgender stalking perpetrators. There present study compared participants’ perceptions of whether behaviour constituted stalking, posed a threat, had a risk of violence and required police intervention when the perpetrator was transgender or cisgender. The present study also sought to replicate the prior-relationship misconception in stalking literature and to investigate whether perceptions of transgender perpetrators changed based on the age and gender of the perceiver.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants read vignettes outlining the relationship between victim and perpetrator as well as a description of the stalking behaviours. Participants then reported their perceptions of the four dependent variables on Likert-type scales.

Findings

The prior-relationship misconception was replicated. There were no significant differences in perceptions of transgender and cisgender perpetrators across the four dependent variables. There were also no significant differences in perceptions based on the gender of the perceiver. Contrary to expectations, older participants perceived transgender perpetrators as less threatening than younger participants.

Research limitations/implications

The prior-relationship misconception is robust to gender identity of the perpetrator. The participants in the present study seemed to make judgements based on stalking behaviour and not the gender identity of the perpetrator. Future research should replicate this study with more severe stalking behaviours and with greater variation in gender identity.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to compare perceptions of cisgender and transgender males in the context of stalking perpetration. There is also consideration of how the demographics of the perceiver could impact these perceptions. This study also contributes to research on the prior-relationship misconception by demonstrating that the misconception is robust to gender identification of the perpetrator.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 February 2023

Rachael Wheatley and Clare Conway

This discussion paper aims to further explore narcissistic vulnerability as a psychological concept in relation to stalking, adding to the literature base by resurrecting this…

Abstract

Purpose

This discussion paper aims to further explore narcissistic vulnerability as a psychological concept in relation to stalking, adding to the literature base by resurrecting this focus and exploring practical implications of this association through proposing a schema therapy (ST) approach.

Design/methodology/approach

Stalking results from an interaction of circumstances and a vulnerable personality. Understanding the psychology of those who stalk, before and during stalking episodes, is pivotal in helping the person stalking to desist and thus protect victims. Knowing how to most effectively intervene at the earliest opportunity with those stalking is an area receiving renewed attention. Not least due to the improved identification of stalking, but also the continued absence of empirical evidence on effective intervention approaches. This paper sets out to explore the utility of ST with stalking cases.

Findings

Recent research undertaken by Wheatley et al. (2020) with men who had stalked and were detained in prison within the UK highlighted narcissistic vulnerability as a key feature in their personalities. The original study provided support for the linked conceptualisations of narcissistic vulnerability, preoccupied attachment styles and the phenomenon of stalking. This paper extended discussions to explore the utility of ST to address narcissistic vulnerability in stalking cases.

Originality/value

This is an original discussion paper combining research with stalking cases, practitioner specialism, psychological theory and existing empirical literature to argue for the value of ST for addressing stalking.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 February 2023

Rachael Wheatley, Sara Henley and Frank Farnham

This paper aims to present issues of deterrence related to stalking.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to present issues of deterrence related to stalking.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have combined recent mixed method research findings and existing general deterrence literature with their practitioner experiences of working with this population, to provide a novel viewpoint paper intending to influence advancements in knowledge in this area.

Findings

Recent qualitative research investigating the function of stalking in a small sample (see Wheatley et al., 2020a) noted the participants’ focus on the lack of deterrence. For example, participants described feeling emotionally stuck in their pursuits, experiencing poor access to help and support, being ignorant of the potential custodial consequences of their offending and even stating that imprisonment provided a harsh yet necessary moment of reality.

Originality/value

This novel discussion paper reviews these findings in relation to both the available research based on deterrence generally and deterrence related to stalking and the experience of working with stalking cases in clinical practice. This paper explores what we know about the motivations that underlie stalking behaviour and how that relates to the effectiveness of deterrence, including the role of traditional criminal justice approaches to this type of offending.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 January 2023

Nicholas Longpré, Ewa B. Stefanska, Maria Tachmetzidi Papoutsi and Eleanor White

The purpose of this study is to examine the latent structure of stalking. Stalking can be defined as a pattern of repeated and unwanted behaviours that cause another person to be…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to examine the latent structure of stalking. Stalking can be defined as a pattern of repeated and unwanted behaviours that cause another person to be afraid. The consequences for the victims can be severe and potentially happen over a long period of time. While stalking is considered as a taxon, empirical evidence and an absence of pathognomonic criteria point towards a dimensional structure.

Design/methodology/approach

The aim of this study is to examine the latent structure of stalking using taxometric analyses on the Severity of Stalking Behaviours Scale. Analyses were conducted on a sample of N = 1,032 victims’ accounts, who had contacted the National Stalking Helpline in the UK.

Findings

Taxometric analyses revealed that stalking presents a dimensional structure, and no taxonic peaks emerged. The results were consistent across analyses (MAMBAC, MAXEIG and L-Mode), indicators (CCFI, curves) and measures (items, factors).

Research limitations/implications

A dimensional structure implies that individual variation is a matter of intensity, and the present results suggest that the conceptualization of stalking should be modified. Understanding stalking from a dimensional perspective provides support to study stalking in non-clinical populations. Scales that measure stalking should provide discrimination along the entire continuum rather than focusing on putative taxonic boundaries and arbitrary threshold.

Originality/value

This paper is proposing the first set of taxometric analyses on stalking. The results are providing empirical support to the idea that stalking exists on a continuum. It also strengthened the validity of previous findings in non-clinical populations and their applications all along the continuum, including with clinical populations.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 13 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 May 2020

Johanna E. Mercer and Clare Sarah Allely

Despite an increasing number of studies that examine sexual offending behaviour in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals, there has been a lack of research investigating…

Abstract

Purpose

Despite an increasing number of studies that examine sexual offending behaviour in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) individuals, there has been a lack of research investigating stalking and ASD. This study aims to carry out a scoping review following PRISMA guidelines to identify studies which have been carried out exploring stalking behaviour in individuals with threshold or subthreshold ASD.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of five bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies which explored ASD in relation to stalking and harassment (including case studies as well as empirical studies).

Findings

A total of five relevant articles were identified in the present review. One article contained a case study. In a short report, the authors discussed stalking and ASD. One paper explored ASD and stalking behaviour in employment settings and specific interventions that could be used in such environments. Another paper focused on stalking behaviour in those with ASD in school settings. The final paper examined stalking and social and romantic functioning in individuals with ASD. This final paper contained only the empirical study identified in this search.

Practical implications

The studies identified in this review clearly highlight the need for intensive socio-sexual interventions to improve social interaction skills and romantic functioning in individuals with ASD. There is also a need for schools to provide sex education programs for individuals with ASD.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first review looking at ASD and stalking.

Details

Journal of Criminal Psychology, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2009-3829

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1995

Jeanie M. Welch

One of the newest crimes to be put on the books is stalking, usually defined as repeatedly being in the presence of another person with the intent to cause emotional distress or…

Abstract

One of the newest crimes to be put on the books is stalking, usually defined as repeatedly being in the presence of another person with the intent to cause emotional distress or bodily harm after being warned or requested not to do so. Stalking must be done over a period of time to indicate a pattern or continuity of purpose. Threats against a person or person's family may be stated or implied in stalking. Stalking victims are followed and harassed at work, at school, and at home. Stalking can also be done electronically, either using computers to send harassing e‐mail messages or by jamming telefacsimile machines with unwanted transmissions. There have been numerous high‐profile stalking cases that gained a great deal of publicity and focused attention on stalking. “Celebrity stalking” cases came to the public's attention in 1982 when actress Theresa Saldana was stabbed by a stalker. In 1989 actress Rebecca Schaeffer was shot and killed by a man who had stalked her for two years. In the 1990s the assault on skater Nancy Kerrigan, television talk shows and movies, and nonfiction works on stalking, including cases that ended with the death of the stalking victim, have focused public attention on this issue.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 23 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

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