Examining Cyberstalking Perpetration and Victimization: A Scoping Review

Abstract

In recent years the body of literature on cyberstalking has expanded rapidly. The present work aimed to summarize the current state of the literature on cyberstalking perpetration and victimization in a scoping review. Forty-one quantitative and qualitative studies that examined variables relating to cyberstalking victimization and perpetration were collated. Following the methodology of Arksey and O’Malley (2005), an in-depth thematic analysis of the articles was undertaken. Prevalence of victimization and perpetration rates were compared and key themes synthesized. Despite examining similar young adult populations, the prevalence of victimization was found to range considerably from 0.7% (Reyns & Engelbrecht, 2010) to 85.2% (Strawhun et al., 2013) across studies. Themes were divided into two overarching classifications, factors relating to victimization and factors relating to perpetration. Deviant peer association, low self-control, previous harassment experiences and personality traits were some of the factors most frequently examined in relation to perpetration; whilst online exposure, online disclosure and guardianship were some of the factors most frequently examined in relation to victimization. Within these themes, deviant peer association and low self-control were found to consistently correlate with an increase in both cyberstalking victimization and perpetration. Guardianship and confidence online demonstrated inconsistent results. This review has summarized what is currently known and has been validated within cyberstalking research pertaining to victimization and perpetration, and has identified gaps and potential areas of future development.

The Influence of Offender Motivation on Unwanted Pursuit Perpetration Among College Students

“…Research finds intimate partner victims are often stigmatized and blamed by the public (Meyer, 2016); thus, a reactive response on the part of victims would be consistent with minority stress theory (Meyer, 2003). Research on offender motives finds that victim control, retaliation, and reactivity (e.g., victim caught me doing something) are frequently reported by stalkers (Chan, 2021;Mullen et al, 1999;Strand & McEwan, 2012;Wick et al, 2017;Wilson et al, 2022), and research on intimate partner violence also finds that victimization is associated with perpetration (Magdol et al, 1997;Tillyer & Wright, 2014).…”

Online stalking of Instagram influencers.

“…Prevalence rates for cyberstalking are difficult to estimate; there is a lack of consistency in the definition of cyberstalking and related terminology used in various surveys. A recent review of cyberstalking literature by Wilson et al (2023) found that there was too much variation in reported cyberstalking prevalence rates to draw reasonable conclusions about specific groups or the general population, with victimization rates ranging from 3.4% to 85.2% in samples of college students alone. A worldwide survey of 12,025 respondents by Statista (2023a) found a 36% prevalence rate of cyberstalking perpetration targeting a current or ex-partner.…”

“…Prevalence rates for cyberstalking are difficult to estimate; there is a lack of consistency in the definition of cyberstalking and related terminology used in various surveys. A recent review of cyberstalking literature by Wilson et al (2023) found that there was too much variation in This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

Cyber intimate partner aggression in adulthood: the role of insecure attachment and self-control

“…In this digital era, these differences indicate a need to identify psychological factors that underpin experiences of cyber IPA perpetration and victimization in adulthood, separately from face-to-face experiences. Notably, when established associations between offline intimate relationships and attachment style (Wilson et al , 2022) are considered in line with the growing research on partner directed aggression online (Marganski and Melander, 2018; Yahner et al , 2015), there is a strong rationale for applying robust theoretical models developed for face-to-face IPA to cyber IPA.…”