Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Partner Stalking

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Stalking is a crime in every state in the United States and impacts millions of women and men each year. Stalking is an ongoing course-of-conduct that creates fear and concern for safety in those being targeted. The research on stalking has grown over the last 20 years but there are still many aspects of stalking that are unknown. In general, stalking victimization is associated with significant fear, distress, and physical and mental health problems. On a personal level, victims fear being assaulted and killed by their stalker and also that others close to them will be harmed. Victims also experience significant life damage from the stalker, along with concern that the stalking will never end and/or that it will get worse. Most stalkers target someone they know including intimate partners and acquaintances, but stalkers also target strangers and celebrities. This chapter will examine research on prevalence, definitions, and consequences of stalking. This chapter will also explore some of the unique features of intimate partner stalking (IPS) and how it intersects with intimate partner violence (IPV). Additionally, this chapter examines theories of stalking perpetration. Victim responses to stalking, including help-seeking, as well as the responses of the civil and criminal justice system will be discussed. The chapter ends with some best practices for responding to IPS as the victim, or an advocate, police officer, or advising mental health professional.

This chapter was initially published with an incorrect copyright holder name. It has been corrected to © Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organisational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50, 179–211.

    Google Scholar 

  • Augustyn, M., Rennison, C., Pinchevsky, G., & Magnuson, A. (2019). IPS among college students: Examining situational contexts related to police notification. Published online first Journal of Family Violence. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1382631.

  • Baum, K., Catalano, S., Rand, M., & Rose, C. (2009). Stalking victimization in the United States (NCJ 224527). Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, M., Basile, K., Breiding, M., Smith, S., Walters, M., Merrick, M., Chen, J., & Stevens, M. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, P., & Nobles, M. (2017). The dark figure of stalking: Examining law enforcement response. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 32(20), 3149–3173.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, P., Nobles, M., & Bouffard, L. (2017). Are college students really at higher risk of stalking?: Exploring the generalizability of student samples in victimization research. Journal of Criminal Justice, 52, 12–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Branscum, C., Fallik, S., Garcia, K., Eason, B., & Gursahaney, K. (2019). Stalking state statutes: A critical content analysis and reflection on social science research, Women & Criminal Justice. https://doi.org/10.1080/08974454.2019.1686450

  • Brennan, K. (2008). In his sights: A memoir. New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewster, M. (2002). Trauma symptoms of former intimate stalking victims. Women and Criminal Justice, 13, 141–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brewster, M. (2003). Power and control dynamics in prestalking and stalking situations. Journal of Family Violence, 18(4), 207–217.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J., Walters, M., Gilbert, L., & Patel, N. (2020). Sexual violence stalking, and intimate partner violence by sexual orientation, United States. Psychology of Violence, 10(1), 110–119.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunha, O., & Goncalves, R. (2016). Severe and less severe intimate partner violence: From characterization to prediction. Violence and Victims, 31(2), 235–250.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cupach, W. R., & Spitzberg, B. H. (2004). The dark side of relationship pursuit: From attraction to obsession and stalking. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Darvell, M. J., Walsh, S. P., & White, K. M. (2011). Facebook tells me so: Applying the theory of planned behavior to understand partner-monitoring behavior on Facebook. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 14(12), 717–722.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K. E., Ace, A., & Andra, M. (2000). Stalking perpetrators and psychological maltreatment of partners. Violence and Victims, 15, 473–488.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, K. E., Swan, S. C., & Gambone, L. J. (2012). Why doesn’t he just leave me alone? Persistent pursuit: A critical review of theories and evidence. Sex Roles, 66, 328–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Demers, J., Ward, S., Walsh, W., Banyard, V., Cohn, E., Edwards, K., & Moynihan, M. (2017). Disclosure on campus: Students’ decisions to tell others about unwanted sexual experiences, intimate partner violence, and stalking. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 27(1), 54–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2017.1382631

  • DreBing, H., Bailer, J., Anders, A., Wagner, H., & Gallas, C. (2014). Cyberstalking in a large sample of social network users: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact on victims. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 17(2), 61–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dutton, M. A., & Goodman, L. A. (2005). Coercion in intimate partner violence: Toward a new conceptualization. Sex Roles, 52, 743–756.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eke, A., Hilton, N., Meloy, J., Mohandie, K., & Williams, J. (2011). Predictors of recidivism by stalkers: A nine-year follow-up of police contacts. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 29(2), 271–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fedina, L., Backes, B., Sulley, C., Wood, L., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2019). Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with stalking victimization among college students. Journal of American College Health, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2019.1583664

  • Fein, R., Vossekuil, B., & Holden, G. (1995). Threat assessment: An approach to prevent targeted violence (NCJ 155000). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fissel, E., & Reyns, B. (2020). The aftermath of cyberstalking: School, work, social and health costs of victimization. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 45, 70–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fleming, K., Newton, T., Fernandez-Botran, R., Miller, J., & Burns, V. (2013). IPS victimization and posttraumatic stress symptoms in post-abuse women. Violence Against Women, 18(12), 1368–1389.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fox, K., Nobles, M., & Fischer, B. (2011). Method behind the madness: An examination of stalking measurements. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 74–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Groenen, A., & Vervaeke, G. (2009). Violent stalkers: Detecting risk factors by the police. European Journal on Criminal Policy Research, 15, 279–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harmon, R., Rosner, R., & Owens, H. (1998). Sex and violence in a forensic population of obsessional harassers. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 4(1/2), 236–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kearl, H. (2018). The facts behind the #metoo movement: A national study on sexual harassment and assault. Stop Street Harassment. http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Full-Report-2018-National-Study-on-Sexual-Harassment-and-Assault.pdf. Retrieved 25 June 2018.

  • Klein, A., Salomon, A., Huntington, N., Dubois, J., & Lang, D. (2009). A statewide study of stalking and its criminal justice response (Grant number 2007-WG-BX-003). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korkodeilou, J. (2017). ‘No place to hide’: Stalking victimization and its psycho-social effects. International Review of Victimology, 23(1), 17–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lambert, E., Smith, B., Geistman, J., Cluse-Tolar, T., & Jiang, S. (2013). Do men and women differ in their perceptions of stalking? An exploratory study among college students. Violence and Victims, 28(2), 195–209.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2012a). Gender and stalking: Current intersections and future directions. Sex Roles, 66, 418–426.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2012b). Motivations to initiate contact with an ex-partner (MICE). Unpublished measure.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Schlee, K., Monson, C., Ehrensaft, M., & Heyman, R. (1998). What’s love got to do with it? Perceptions of marital positivity in H-to-W aggressive, distressed, and happy marriages. Journal of Family Violence, 13, 197–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Palarea, R. E., Cohen, J., & Rohling, M. L. (2002). Breaking up is hard to do: Unwanted pursuit behaviors following the dissolution of a romantic relationship. In K. E. Davis, I. H. Frieze, & R. D. Maiuro (Eds.), Stalking: Perspectives on victims and perpetrators (pp. 212–236). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., McCullars, A., & Misra, T. A. (2012). Motivations for men and women’s intimate partner violence perpetration: A comprehensive review. Partner Abuse, 3(4), 429–468.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T. (2010). Research on partner stalking: Putting the pieces together. Lexington: University of Kentucky, Department of Behavioral Science & Center on Drug and Alcohol Research. www.cdar.uky.edu/vaw

  • Logan, T. (2017). SHARP: A new tool for stalking assessment and safety planning. Domestic Violence Report, 22(6), 89–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T. (2019). Unpublished data analysis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T. (2020). Examining stalking experiences and outcomes for men and women stalked by (ex) partners and non-partners. Journal of Family Violence, 35(7), 729–739.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Cole, J. (2007). The impact of partner stalking on mental health and protective order outcomes over time. Violence and Victims, 22(5), 546–562.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Cole, J. (2011). The intersection of partner stalking and sexual abuse. Violence Against Women, 17(7), 904–924.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Faragher, T. (2010, April). What police need to know about stalking. American Police Beat Magazine. https://apbweb.com/

  • Logan, T., & Lynch, K. (2018). Dangerous liaisons: Examining the connection of stalking and gun threats among partner abuse victims. Violence and Victims, 33(3), 399–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Valente, R. (2015). Who will help me? Domestic violence survivors speak out about law enforcement responses. www.thehotline.org/resources/law-enforcement-responses.

  • Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2009). Partner stalking: Psychological dominance or “business as usual”? Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 10, 247–270.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2010). Toward a deeper understanding of the harms caused by partner stalking. Violence and Victims, 25(4), 440–455.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2017). Stalking: A multidimensional framework for assessment and safety planning. Trauma, Violence, and Abuse: A Review Journal, 18(2), 200–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2018). The gender safety gap: Examining the impact of victimization history, perceived risk, and personal control. Journal of Interpersonal Violence.1–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., & Walker, R. (2019). The impact of stalking-related fear and gender on personal safety outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0886260519829280

  • Logan, T., Walker, R., Jordan, C., & Campbell, J. (2004). An integrative review of separation and victimization among women: Consequences & implications. Violence, Trauma, & Abuse, 5(2), 143–193.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., Cole, J., Shannon, L., & Walker, R. (2006). Partner stalking: How women respond, cope, and survive. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., Shannon, L., & Cole, J. (2007). Stalking victimization in the context of intimate partner violence. Violence and Victims, 22(6), 669–683.

    Google Scholar 

  • Logan, T., Walker, R., Hoyt, W., & Faragher, T. (2009). The Kentucky civil protective order study: A rural and urban multiple perspective study of protective order violation consequences, responses, & costs (NCJ publication # 228350). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228350.pdf

  • Lynch, K., & Logan, T. (2015). Police officers’ attitudes and challenges with charging stalking. Violence and Victims, 30(6), 1037–1048.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lyndon, A., Sinclair, C., MacArthur, J., Fay, B., Ratajack, E., & Collier, K. (2015). An introduction to issues of gender in stalking research. Sex Roles, 65(5–6), 299–310.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malsch, M., de Keijser, J., & Debets, S. (2011). Are stalkers recidivists? Repeated offending by convicted stalkers. Violence and Victims, 26(1), 3–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • McEwan, T., Mullen, P., & MacKenzie, R. (2010). Suicide among stalkers. The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 21(4), 514–520.

    Google Scholar 

  • McFarlane, J., Campbell, J., & Watson, K. (2002). IPS and femicide: Urgent implications for women’s safety. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 20, 51–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meier, J., & Dickson, S. (2017). Mapping gender: Shedding empirical light on family courts’ treatment of cases involving abuse and alienation. Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice, 35(2), 311–334.

    Google Scholar 

  • Meloy, J. R. (2001). Stalking and violence. In J. Boon & L. Sheridan (Eds.), Stalking and psychosexual obsession. London: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melton, H. (2007). Predicting the occurrence of stalking in relationships characterized by domestic violence. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(1), 3–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mohandie, K., Meloy, J., McGowan, M., & Williams, J. (2006). The RECON typology of stalking: Reliability and validity based upon a large sample of North American stalkers. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 51, 147–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • National Center for Victims of Crime. (2007). The model stalking code revisited: Responding to the new realities of stalking. Washington, DC: National Center for Victims of Crime.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ngo, F. (2019). Stalking: An examination of the correlates of subsequent police responses. Policing: An International Journal, 42(3), 362–375.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ngo, F. (2020). Stalking victimization: Examining the impact of police action and inaction on victim-reported outcome. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 35, 146–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nicastro, A., Cousins, A., & Spitzberg, B. (2000). The tactical face of stalking. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28, 69–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris, S., Huss, M., & Palarea, R. (2011). A pattern of violence: Analyzing the relationship between intimate partner violence and stalking. Violence and Victims, 26(1), 103–115.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palarea, R., Zona, M., Lane, J., & Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (1999). The dangerous nature of stalking: Threats, violence and associated risk factors. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 17, 269–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Patton, C., Nobles, M. R., & Fox, K. (2010). Look who’s stalking: Obsessive pursuit and attachment theory. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 282–290.

    Google Scholar 

  • Przekop, M. (2011). One more battleground: Domestic violence, child custody, and the batterers’ relentless pursuit of their victims through the courts. Seattle Journal for Social Justice, 9(2), 1053–1106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn-Evans, L., Keatley, D., Arntfield, M., & Sheridan, L. (2019). A behavior sequence analysis of victims’ accounts of stalking behaviors. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519831389.

  • Reid, L., & Konrad, M. (2004). The gender gap in fear: Assessing the interactive effects of gender and perceived risk on fear of crime. Sociological Spectrum, 24, 399–425.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reyns, B., & Englebrecht, C. (2010). The stalking victim’s decision to contact the police: A test of Gottfredson and Gottfredson’s theory of criminal justice decision making. Journal of Criminal Justice, 38, 998–1005.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reyns, B., & Englebrecht, C. (2012). The fear factor: Exploring predictors of fear among stalking victims throughout the stalking encounter. Crime & Delinquency, 59(5), 788–808.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenbaum, A., & Leisring, P. A. (2001). Group intervention programs for batterers. Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment, & Trauma, 5(2), 57–71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan, L., & Davies, G. (2001). Violence and the prior victim-stalker relationship. Clinical Behavior and Mental Health, 11, 102–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan, L., & Lyndon, A. (2012). The influence of prior relationship, gender, and fear on the consequences of stalking victimization. Sex Roles, 66, 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-011-0106-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sheridan, L., North, A. C., & Scott, A. J. (2019). Stalking in the workplace. Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, 6(2), 61–75. https://doi.org/10.1037/tam0000124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spencer, C., & Stith, S. (2020). Risk factors for male perpetration and female victimization of intimate partner homicide: A meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 21(3), 527–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzberg, B. (2002). In the shadow of the stalker: The problem of policing unwanted pursuit. In H. Giles (Ed.), Law enforcement, communication and community (pp. 173–200). Philadelphia: John Benjamins North America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzberg, B., & Cupach, W. (2014). The dark side of relationship pursuit: From attraction to obsession and stalking. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor-Dunn, H., Brown, E., & Gilchreist, E. (2018). Reporting harassment and stalking to the police: A qualitative study of victims’ experiences. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518811423.

  • Thomas, S., Purcell, R., Pathé, M., & Mullen, P. (2008). Harm associated with stalking victimization. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42, 800–806.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, C., Dennison, S., & Stewart, A. (2012). Are female stalkers more violent than male stalkers? Understanding gender differences in stalking violence using contemporary sociocultural beliefs. Sex Roles, 66, 351–365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (1998). Stalking in America: Findings from the national violence against women survey (NCJ# 169592). Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    Google Scholar 

  • Var, M., Selwyn, C., McCullars, A., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., & Turner, L. (2014, August). Motivations for initiating contact with ex-partners (MICE) scale: Analysis and factor structure. Poster presented at the 122nd annual convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Woodlock, D. (2017). The abuse of technology in domestic violence and stalking. Violence Against Women, 23(5), 584–602.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA

    TK Logan

  2. Psychology Department, University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

Authors
  1. TK Logan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse and Trauma, Alliant International University, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. School of Health and Human Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensbo, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Dept of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. University of North Carolina- Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling

  2. Consultant, Alexandria, VA, USA

    Glenna Tinney

  3. College of Arts and Sciences - Society, Culture, and Language, University of South Florida - St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA

    Shelly M. Wagers

  4. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  5. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Logan, T., Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J. (2020). Intimate Partner Violence and Intimate Partner Stalking. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_322-1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62122-7_322-1

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-62122-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation