Stalking Perceptions and Experiences Across Two Cultures

• NCJ Number: 203930
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: February 2004 Pages: 97-119
• Author(s): J. D. H. Jagessar; L. P. Sheridan
• Date Published: February 2004
• Length: 23 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Survey (Cross-Cultural)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article discusses stalking perceptions and the experiences of Trinidadian and British women.

Abstract

The perceptions of 354 Trinidadian women regarding what behaviors constitute stalking were evaluated through the presentation of a list of 42 intrusive acts. The sample was shown the same continuum of intrusive behaviors and was asked to indicate any they had experienced personally. Factor analyses were conducted on Trinidadian and 348 British women’s perceptions of stalking, and chi-squares were conducted to investigate Trinidadian and British women’s experiences of stalking. The women were also asked to record in detail their worst harassing or intrusive episode, if they had experienced one. The results demonstrated that Trinidadian and British females hold reasonably convergent views regarding what does and does not constitute stalking. Of the 42 intrusive behaviors presented in the study, the majority of Trinidadian women thought 13 were serious stalking activities. The behavior that was perceived as serious stalking in the Trinidadian sample but as nonstalking in the British sample was when the perpetrator refused to accept the end of the relationship. Both Trinidadian and British women were able to recognize the distinction between harassing activities, such as surveillance. Given that stalking and harassment are not expressly defined in either Trinidadian or British law, there still seems to exist some shared sense of what constitutes unacceptable intrusion. The Trinidadian sample was marginally more likely than the British sample to report higher frequencies for individual behaviors. Trinidadian females were more likely to experience the more serious of the 42 behaviors, whereas their British counterparts were more likely to report experiences of the less serious items. There is a higher rate of interpersonal violence in Trinidad, particularly with domestic violence. Despite the influences of two different cultures, there was considerable agreement as to what acts constitute harassment, and legal prohibition of stalking or harassment does not have to exist for women to judge what types of male behavior is unacceptable. 3 tables, 36 references