U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Influence of Prior Relationship on Perceptions of Stalking in the United Kingdom and Australia

NCJ Number
232251
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 37 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2010 Pages: 1185-1194
Author(s)
Adrian J. Scott; Rebecca Lloyd; Jeff Gavin
Date Published
November 2010
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The current study investigates the influence of prior relationship and the nationality of participants on perceptions of stalking with a combined sample of 315 university students from the United Kingdom and Australia.
Abstract
Research in the United Kingdom and Australia has produced inconsistent findings regarding the influence of the prior relationship between the perpetrator and the target on perceptions of stalking. It is unclear whether these inconsistencies represent a genuine cross-cultural difference. Overall, the current study found that perceptions failed to reflect the reality that ex-partner stalkers pose a greater threat than stranger or acquaintance stalkers. Participants were more likely to believe that behavior constituted stalking, necessitated police intervention, caused fear or apprehension, and caused mental or physical harm when the perpetrator was depicted as a stranger rather than an acquaintance or ex-partner. The direction of findings was consistent in the United Kingdom and Australia, although Australian participants perceived the perpetrator's behavior to be more severe than did participants from the United Kingdom. Tables and references (Published Abstract)