NCJ Number
227536
Journal
Trauma, Violence, & Abuse Volume: 10 Issue: 3 Dated: July 2009 Pages: 247-270
Date Published
July 2009
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This literature review of research on intimate-partner stalking (IPS) examines how IPS differs from nonpartner forms of stalking and identifies areas of IPS that should be systematically researched in order to improve mental health and criminal justice responses to it.
Abstract
Stalking research suggests there are at least five ways that IPS differs from acquaintance or stranger stalking. IPS is a form or extension of intimate partner violence, such that the relational history between the stalker and the victim provides the context for the victim's perceptions of the threat posed by the stalker. The relationship history in turn gives stalkers a wider array of tactics related to knowledge of the victim's activities, workplace, and children. Also, intimate-partner stalkers are more likely to threaten their victims and implement those threats. Another distinctive dimension of IPS is that it often occurs while the relationship is intact and then continues during a separation. In addition, victims of IPS are more likely to undergo psychological distress because of the stalker's past violence toward the victim. Within the context of the stalking research, there are several significant questions that are still unanswered or have not been answered satisfactorily. The literature, for example, has not definitively determined whether or to what extent IPS is a distinct form of psychological dominance or whether it is a continuation of the abusive behavior that has characterized the stalker's interaction with the victim. There are also significant gaps in knowledge about the association among the legal, social, psychological, and interpersonal dimensions of the victim's stalking experience. Such research may lead to new legal and mental health perspectives on stalking. 6 notes and 144 references