Citation

Logan TK. J. Threat Assess. Manag. 2020; 7(1-2): 13-28.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/tam0000136

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Explicit threats have been associated with higher victim distress and fear, regardless of actual violence from stalkers; however, it is important to consider the context of the threat or factors that inform victim perceptions about the credibility of threats made by the stalker. Understanding factors that contribute to victim assessment of risk may be important because higher fear levels contribute to anxiety, depression, and other negative mental health problems but may also facilitate more assertive safety behaviors and help seeking. This study examined the associations of victim-reported stalker history, mind-set, opportunity, environment, and life interference factors with number of different threats, fear level, and perceived capability of stalker harm for women stalked by male (ex)partners (n = 257), close acquaintances (n = 118), and distant acquaintances/strangers (n = 132).

RESULTS suggest that victim-stalker relationship does matter in understanding threats and threat context as well as stalking-related fear level and perceived capability of harm. The number of different threats experienced was associated with the history of violence to the victim, stalker mind-set, and life interference, regardless of victim-stalker relationship type. Furthermore, victims appear to consider different factors in their fear level and perceived capability of stalker harm, depending on their relationship to the stalker, which may be, in part, due to stalker background and history being unknown to victims the more distant the relationship. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved)

Language: en