A multivariate model of stalking behaviours

Abstract

In order to reveal the variations that exist among stalkers in terms of actual stalking behaviours the range of offence actions that should be examined was derived from theoretical accounts of the differences between offenders. Four distinct thematic foci were hypothesised characterised by sexual, intimate, possessive and aggressive-destructive modes of offender-victim interaction. To test these hypotheses 50 offences were content analysed into 24 behavioural categories. The occurrence of these categories of behaviour across all offences was examined using SSA-I. A modulating facet was proposed, by analogy with previous studies, of violent sexual assaults that reflected the intensity of personal contact the stalker imposes upon the victim, with the most intense being the most differentiated and least frequent. The results lend support to the existence of a intensity facet that modulates all four aspects identified from the published literature, providing further evidence for a radex of criminality. This radex model is used to indicate biases in the current sample of cases by postulating implicit elements for future study. The implication of the radex model of stalking for the management of and interventions in stalking are also considered as the basis for future explorations