Examining Stalking Assault by Victim Gender, Stalker Gender, and Victim-Stalker Relationship
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Examining Stalking Assault by Victim Gender, Stalker Gender, and Victim-Stalker Relationship TK Logan 1 Accepted: 3 November 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract The overall goals of this study were to explore factors associated with stalking assault and factors associated with stalking-related fear among those who were, and who were not, assaulted by victim gender. Men (n = 254) and women (n = 560) stalking victims were recruited through a crowdsourcing website and surveyed about their stalking experiences. Overall, one-third of stalking victims were assaulted. However, almost half of women were assaulted by (ex)partner stalkers compared to about one-quarter of women stalked by acquaintances or strangers. Additionally, about one-third of men were assaulted regardless of their relationship to the stalker. Three main findings are discussed including: (1) stalking assault rates and stalking-related fear levels differ by victim gender which may be, in part, because more women are stalked by males and by (ex)partners; (2) prior violence to the victim, threats, and frequency of confrontation were associated with stalking assault regardless of victim gender; and (3) among those not assaulted, threats and the stalker not caring about severe consequences was associated with stalking-related fear regardless of victim gender, but other factors associated with stalking-related fear differed by victim gender and assault experience. Arrest and increased concern for victim safety by professionals often hinges on physical violence and victim injury. However, educating professionals who work with stalking victims about the factors associated with assault, as well as the full range of harms and risks beyond assault, is crucial to supporting victims and holding stalkers accountable for the crime of stalking. Keywords Stalking . Stalking violence . Gender . Stalker
Stalking victimization impacts millions of men and women each year (Black et al. 2011). Stalking can be defined as a course of conduct that induces fear or concern for safety (Logan 2010; National Center for Victims of Crime 2007). Stalking victims worry about many things, including violence from the stalker (Baum et al. 2009; Logan and Walker 2017a). The concern about stalker violence is well founded given stalking has been associated with both lethal and non-lethal violence (Baum et al. 2009; Churcher and Nesca 2013; McFarlane et al. 2002; Rosenfeld 2004). Many women who were murdered by an (ex)partner had been stalked (McFarlane et al. 2002; Rai et al. 2020; Spencer and Stith 2020). However, not all victims who are stalked are assaulted, with several studies suggesting that, on average, between 20% and 30%
* TK Logan [email protected] 1
University of Kentucky, 333 Waller Ave, Suite 480, Lexington, KY 40504, USA
of stalking victims experience physical violence during the course of stalking (Baum et al. 2009; Churcher and Nesca 2013; Mohandie et al. 2006; Spitzberg and Cupach 2007). At the same time, one o
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