Stalking by Former Intimates: Verbal Threats and Other Predictors of Physical Violence

Abstract

Scant empirical research has been conducted on the relationship between threats and violence. The purpose of this analysis is to assess the link between verbal threats of violence and actual physical violence against former intimate victims of stalking. The researcher interviewed 187 female former intimate stalking victims, asking respondents about various characteristics of their experiences. Responses to questions pertaining to threats; history of violence; stalkers’ drug and alcohol use; frequency of phone calls, “following,” and letters during stalking; and victims’ age and education were analyzed as possible predictors of three violence-related dependent variables: (a) whether or not violence occurred, (b) the number of violent incidents during stalking, and (c) physical injury during stalking. The results of linear and logistic regression models reveal that, regardless of the measure of violence, there is an independent, moderate, and statistically significant correlation between verbal threats and subsequent violence. Regression coefficients for drug abuse and alcohol abuse were also statistically significant, but only in predicting physical injury during stalking.

Intimate partner stalking and femicide: urgent implications for women's safety

“…Eighty-one per cent of the women in the NVAW Survey who were stalked by a current or former husband or cohabiting partner were also physically assaulted by the same partner (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998, 2000. This supports other studies that have reported that stalkers are far more likely to be violent if they have had an intimate relationship with the victim (Coleman, 1997;Kohn, Flood, Chase, & McMahon, 2000;Meloy, 1996;Mullen, Pathe, Purcell, & Stuart, 1999).…”

“…Using this definition, the results of the NVAW telephone survey of 8000 U.S. women and 8000 U.S. men found 1% of the women and 0.4% of the men reported being stalked during the preceding 12 months. Eight per cent of these same women and 2% of the men reported life-long prevalence of stalking (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998, 2000.…”

“…Stalking, as defined in the National Violence Against Women (NVAW) Survey, includes repeated (two or more) occasions of visual or physical proximity, nonconsensual communication, or verbal, written or implied threats that would cause fear in a reasonable person (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998, 2000. Using this definition, the results of the NVAW telephone survey of 8000 U.S. women and 8000 U.S. men found 1% of the women and 0.4% of the men reported being stalked during the preceding 12 months.…”

“…Acquaintances and relatives composed the remaining groups of non-intimate, non-stranger stalkers. Stalking by an intimate partner occurred before the relationship ended for 21% of the women, after the relationship ended for 43%, and 36% of the women said stalking occurred both before and after the relationship ended (Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998, 2000.…”

Career Dimensions of Stalking Victimization and Perpetration

“…Studies measuring stalking perpetration among samples of non-college participants have examined samples of convicted stalkers (Logan, Nigoff, Walker, & Jordon, 2002;Meloy, 1996;Mullen, Pathè, Purcell, & Stuart, 1999;Schwartz-Watts & Morgan, 1998), batterers and stalkers (Burgess, Baker, Greening, Hartman, Burgess, Douglas, & Halloran, 1997;Burgess, Harner, Baker, Hartman, & Lole, 2001), and case studies of stalkers (Kurt, 1995). Some studies collected data on stalking perpetration in the general population from samples of stalking victims (Brewster, 2000;Emerson, Ferris, & Gardner, 1998). Stalking perpetration rates reported by college students range from 1% (Fremouw et al, 1997) to 8% (Haugaard & Seri, 2003).…”