Intersections of Stalking and Technology-Based Abuse: Emerging Definitions, Conceptualization, and Measurement
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Intersections of Stalking and Technology-Based Abuse: Emerging Definitions, Conceptualization, and Measurement Jill Messing 1
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Meredith Bagwell-Gray 2 & Megan Lindsay Brown 1 & Andrea Kappas 1 & Alesha Durfee 3
# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Intimate partner violence, stalking, and technology-based abuse increasingly intersect as online surveillance has become more easily accessible. Despite the ubiquity of information communication technologies across all aspects of social life, definitions and measurement of stalking have not kept pace with this cultural shift. This article describes stalking and technology-based abuse across three samples of intimate partner violence survivors. Over a period of 6 years (2012–2018), data were collected from survivors of intimate partner violence (n = 1137) receiving services from domestic violence programs (including shelter). Three forms of data collection were employed across two studies: pen-and-paper surveys, web-based surveys, and qualitative semistructured interviews. Data were combined and analyzed to document and compare women’s reports of stalking and technologybased abuse. Across the two quantitative samples, 62–72% of women reported experiencing direct stalking and 60–63% reported experiencing technology-based abuse by an intimate partner. Qualitative data are used to describe and contextualize women’s reports of stalking and technology-based abuse. Stalking and technology-based abuse are contingent upon the context, including frequency, duration, history of abuse, and patterns of behavior. Due to the subjective nature of online interactions, it is challenging to create definitions and measures that capture these forms of abuse. Indeed, survivors themselves may not have a clear understanding of the threshold at which monitoring behaviors become abusive. Researchers should work to better understand definitions, measurement, and consequences of technology-based abuse and stalking while advocates and legislators move toward creating legal protections for survivors. Keywords Intimate partner violence . Technology . Abuse . Stalking
In October 2018, Lauren McCluskey was murdered by her exboyfriend before he killed himself (Carlisle and Harkins 2018). Prior to the homicide, Ms. McCluskey reported to the campus police that her ex-boyfriend had been harassing her; she had broken up with him because he had lied about his name, age, and status as a sex offender. She also reported that he was “really upset” about the break-up. The police contacted his parole officer who determined that the infractions reported did not warrant placing him into custody. After the murder, the
* Jill Messing [email protected] 1
School of Social Work, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave., Suite 800, Phoenix, AZ 85004, USA
2
School of Social Welfare, University of Kansas, Phoenix, AZ, USA
3
School of Social Transformation, Women & Gender Studies, Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA
University Chief of Polic
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