The impact of severe stalking experienced by acutely battered women: an examination of violence, psychological symptoms and strategic responding

Stalking has been relatively understudied compared to other dimensions of intimate partner violence. The purpose of this article was to examine concurrent and subsequent intimate partner abuse, strategic responses and symptomatic consequences of severe stalking experienced by battered women. Thirty-five battered women classified as "relentlessly stalked" and 31 infrequently stalked battered women were compared. Compared to infrequently stalked battered women, relentlessly stalked battered women reported: (a) more severe concurrent physical violence, sexual assault and emotional abuse: (b) increased post-separation assault and stalking; (c) increased rates of depression and PTSD; and (d) more extensive use of strategic responses to abuse. Results underscore the scope and magnitude of stalking faced by battered women and have implications for assessment and intervention strategies.     

Profiles of distress in sheltered battered women: implications for intervention

Heterogeneity in patterns of distress and psychological functioning was investigated using a person-oriented approach to data analysis in two diverse samples of battered women in shelters. In order to provide some empirically derived guidance to clinicians, scores on measures of depressive symptoms as well as state and trait anxiety were cluster analyzed. A four-cluster solution provided the best fit for both samples of women, and despite the demographic differences in the women, generally similar clusters were found in both samples. One cluster contained women with minimal distress; another, those who were mildly anxious; in a third cluster, the women were moderately to highly depressed and anxious; and in a fourth cluster, the women were reporting severe levels of distress. Implications for treatment include the importance of providing individually tailored interventions for the women, based on differential combinations of depression and anxiety, especially for women whose distress levels are in the high and severe ranges of distress.     

Breaking up is hard to do: unwanted pursuit behaviors following the dissolution of a romantic relationship

This study investigated the prevalence and predictors of unwanted pursuit behaviors among college students. Participants (n = 282) had experienced the termination of a meaningful romantic relationship. Two questionnaires were administered. One assessed unwanted pursuit behaviors that were perpetrated by individuals who had not initiated the relationship breakup (breakup sufferers; n = 120); the other assessed individuals who had initiated the relationship breakup (relationship dissolvers; n = 162). Results indicated that most breakup sufferers had engaged in at least one act of unwanted pursuit (i.e., unwanted phone calls, unwanted in-person conversations) after the breakup. Breakup sufferers were more likely than relationship dissolvers to perceive a positive impact from their unwanted pursuit behavior. Partner-specific attachment experiences and love styles emerged as significant predictors of unwanted pursuit behavior perpetration, according to both victims and perpetrators of unwanted pursuit. However, only victims of unwanted pursuit revealed an association between levels of relationship violence and unwanted pursuit behavior perpetration. Victims also reported that their unwanted pursuit was related to a lack of friendship between themselves and their expartners. In contrast, there was a positive association between feelings of friendship and unwanted pursuit for perpetrators. The implications of these findings and their application to the stalking literature are discussed.     

Student pursuers: an investigation of pursuit and stalking in the student-faculty relationship

Data from faculty and students provide information on the prevalence of unwanted pursuit and stalking in the student-faculty relationship. Among faculty, 67.8% reported unwanted pursuit. For the most serious case, 6%-11% met criteria for stalking. Among students, 4.1% reported engaging in unwanted pursuit of faculty. Both faculty and students perceived anger (especially for male students) to be the motive for student unwanted pursuit/stalking, with some endorsement of romantic interest and concern about the role of mental illness. Sex differences suggest female faculty members are more often a target of unwanted pursuit or stalking and more likely to experience fear.     

The personality of pursuit: personality attributions of unwanted pursuers and stalkers

A sample of 292 college students recalled a partner who had engaged in unwanted pursuit (46%) or recalled their most recent "normal" dating relationship. Subjects rated their own level of stalking victimization and rated the partner on a series of personality characteristics and social competence. Unwanted pursuers were perceived as less socially competent, more histrionic, more borderline, and less obsessive-compulsive, with discrimination of "normals" from unwanted pursuers of approximately 75% to 80% accuracy. These attributions also significantly predicted a continuous measure of unwanted pursuit victimization (R = .406). Implications for developing more precise and practical risk profiles of unwanted pursuers are discussed.     

An empirical study of stalking victimization

This article empirically studies the phenomenon of stalking and its victims by utilizing a random sample of college students at a large public University. The study found that 25% of the women and 11% of the men had been stalked at some point in their lives and that six percent were currently being stalked. Additionally, the study found that the majority of stalking victims are women who are stalked by male offenders. The sample reported being stalked for an average of 347 days and having engaged in a variety of actions in response. A substantial number of victims reported being threatened by their stalkers. This threat was associated with higher levels of fear among the victims and a greater chance of physical attack by the stalkers, particularly for the female victims.     

An examination of sexual risk behaviors in adolescent substance users

ABSTRACT. Objectives: This study examined the risk for engaging in high-risk sexual behavior associated with substance use in a sample of U.S. adolescents. Methods: The sample (N = 15,425) was obtained via the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, a survey of public high school students. Results: Substance use was associated with sexual risk behaviors, with odds ratios being greatest for adolescents who used cigarettes and illicit substances, as well as those who engaged in injection drug use. Conclusions: Results highlight the need for prevention and intervention programs targeting sexual risk behaviors in substance-using adolescents as a means to decrease the spread of sexually transmitted infections.     

An integrative contextual developmental model of male stalking

This article evaluates current research and theory on stalking as a form of male violence against women. The integrative contextual developmental model (White & Kowalski, 1998) suggests that stalking, as legally defined, is best understood as a multiply determined form of violence, with variables identifiable at several levels, the sociocultural, interpersonal, dyadic, situational and intrapersonal. The model also serves as a framework for identifying gaps in current research and suggests directions for further work.     

An examination of the problem of unwanted population growth in Africa and the existing facilities for training family planning personnel

Population planning is as important as economic planning and should be applied both at the national and personal levels. Population control and socioeconomic development are intrinsic to each other. Proverty, illiteracy, political instability, and social retardation are found in the countries with high birth rates. Most African nations tend to think of the population in terms of density rather than growth potential. Family planning programs should be accorded the same priority as maternal-child health, but African countries are often not equipped financially or professionally to support family planning workers under the same conditions as other medical personnel could be accomplished locally rather than overseas, thus saving about $204,000 in the East African Region and $213,000 in the West African Region. The success of the trainees' program will depend on the degree to whichf amily planning programs are integrated with other medical services; insight into traditiona l sexual patterns, and tact and skill of personnel.     

An analysis of empirical estimates of sexual aggression victimization and perpetration

Estimates of prevalence for several categories of sexual coercion, including rape and attempted rape, were statistically aggregated across 120 studies, involving over 100,000 subjects. According to the data, almost 13% of women and over 3% of men have been raped, and almost 5% of men claim to have perpetrated rape. In contrast, about 25% of women and men claim to have been sexually coerced and to have perpetrated sexual coercion. In general, the mediating variables examined--population type, decade, date of publication, and type of operationalization--were not consistently related to rates of victimization or perpetration. Nevertheless, the extensive variation among study estimates strongly suggests the possibility of systematic sources of variation that have yet to be identified. Further analyses are called for to disentangle such sources.     

Informed policy making for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy. Understanding low-income women's experiences with family planning

California health and welfare officials asked the authors to identify ways that their programs could encourage service use among low-income women. The project posed a challenge: The clients wanted to identify supply-side barriers amenable to intervention, but prior research suggested other factors might be more influential. The approach was to examine service-related issues, but in the broader context of women's experiences. The authors identify factors amenable to intervention, including inaccurate beliefs about methods. Other important influences--such as instability of relationships, skepticism about planning, or unsatisfactory method experiences--may be beyond the reach of specific policies, but are nevertheless critical to understanding program context. Findings suggest that punitive messages and policies based on a simplistic model of behavior may be unrealistic and ineffective.     

Gambling and other risk behaviors on university campuses

To examine the prevalence of problem gambling and its relationship to other risk-taking behaviors, the authors surveyed 1,350 undergraduates at the 4 campuses of Connecticut State University (CSU) during fall 2000. On the basis of a modified version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen, a widely used screening instrument, they found that 18% of the men and 4% of the women reported that gambling had led to at least 3 negative life consequences (eg, felt guilty, gambled more than intended), commonly defined as problem gambling. Students identified as problem gamblers, compared with other students, were significantly more likely to be heavy drinkers, report negative consequences of alcohol consumption, and be regular tobacco and marijuana users. Problem gambling was related to binge eating and greater use of weight-control efforts. University athletes were also found to have significantly greater problem gambling rates than nonathletes. The majority of students gambled but experienced few of the negative consequences reported by problem gamblers.     

African American female basketball players: an examination of alcohol and drug behaviors

The use of drugs and alcohol by National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I African American female basketball players and their reasons for using these substances were examined. The investigation is part of a broader study investigating the use of alcohol, weight-loss products, tobacco, amphetamines, and anabolic steroids by female college athletes. Of the 50 athletes in this study, 72% reported having consumed alcoholic beverages, and 46% had engaged in binge drinking. Only 8% reported using either weight-loss or tobacco products, and there were no reports of using amphetamines or anabolic steroids. Usage patterns indicated that the athletes in the study were aware of the short-term negative effects of alcohol and tobacco; those respondents who did use these products greatly reduced their consumption during the competitive season. Factors found to influence use include social and peer influences and coaches' rules.     

Influence of gender and experience on college students' stalking schemas

Although stalking has been increasingly recognized as a serious social problem, surprisingly few studies have investigated perceptions of the specific behaviors that comprise stalking. The focus of this article, therefore, was to further delineate college students' stalking schemas and to examine the influence of gender and personal knowledge of stalking on their schemas. Participants judged whether or not a variety of behaviors were examples of stalking. Behaviors were designed to range from mild, somewhat ambiguous, examples of stalking to more severe examples. Results revealed an interaction between gender and experience on ratings of mild stalking behaviors. Men who had personal knowledge of stalking (by having been stalked themselves or knowing someone who had been stalked) were significantly more likely to rate mild stalking behaviors as stalking than men who had no experience. In contrast, experience did not affect women's perceptions of mild stalking, as no differences were found between women as a function of experience. Results are discussed in terms of overall relationship schemas.     

Correlates of traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration among Australian students

This study investigated the associations of gender, age, trait anger, moral disengagement, witnessing of interparental conflict, school connectedness and the religious makeup of the school setting in the involvement in traditional bullying and cyberbullying perpetration. Five hundred Australian students completed an anonymous self-report, paper-based questionnaire. According to the results, 25.2% of the participants reported having engaged in traditional or cyberbullying perpetration. While trait anger and moral disengagement were associated with being a traditional bully, trait anger, interparental conflicts, moral disengagement and school connectedness were associated with being a traditional bully-victim. Additionally, trait anger and moral disengagement were associated with being a traditional-and-cyberbully. Our findings indicated that besides individual variables, the family and school environment have an impact on traditional and cyberbullying perpetration behavior. Results imply that any prevention attempts to reduce traditional and cyberbullying should consider students' experiences both at home and at school.     

An intersectional perspective on Muslim women's issues and experiences in employment

Drawing on a qualitative study of second‐generation Pakistani heritage Muslim women in employment in the UK, this article uses and develops an intersectional perspective to explain the interconnected and overlapping factors, such as gender, ethnicity and religion that affect these women at work. It also considers individual strategies and resources these women use to address any obstacles in the way of their employment and careers. The article uses the notions of inequality regimes and intersectionality to explain inequality in the workplace and the complex challenges facing Muslim female employees. The results show that these women continue to face a myriad of challenges in the UK workplace, and that a unilateral focus on gender does not sufficiently explain the work‐related experiences of second‐generation Muslim women in the UK. Therefore, it is important to take into account gender's intersection with ethnicity and religion.