Stalking and Other Forms of Intrusive Contact

• OVC Stalking Site
• Meloy, J. R. (Ed.). (1998). The psychology of stalking: Clinical and forensic perspectives. San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
• Langhinrichsen-Rohling, J., Palarea, R. E., Cohen, J., & Rohling, M. L. (2000). Breaking up is hard to do: Unwanted pursuit behaviors following the dissolution of a romantic relationship. Violence and Victims, 15, 73-90.
• Fremouw, W. J., Westrup, D., & Pennypacker, J. (1997). Stalking on campus: The prevalence and strategies for coping with stalking. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 42, 666-669.
• Haugaard, J.J., & Seri, L.G. (2004). Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact among adolescents and young adults from the perspective of the person initiating the intrusive contact. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 37-54.
• Haugaard, J.J., & Seri, L.G. (2003). Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact following adolescent dating and romantic relationships. Victims and Victimology, 18, 279-298.

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Several other websites provide information about stalking and other forms of intrusive contact. We have no influence on what is written on any of these websites, and cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information they contain. Some of the websites focus mostly on stalking among adults, and so the information on these sites may be more appropriate to adults than to you. You may notice that the advice on the websites may differ, and sometimes the advice on two websites may even be contradictory. You will need to decide which advice to take and which advice to avoid, and it may be helpful to talk with parents, teachers, or others who can help you decide this. As with all websites, it is wise to be VERY CAREFUL when sending messages that may include your e-mail address to any of these websites.

• The National Center for Victims of Crime Stalking Resource Center
• Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)
• Stalking Victims' Sanctuary
• Safe Horizon
• Survivors of Stalking (SOS)
• Stalking Behaviors, Definitions, Resources, and Links
• Feel Safe Again, Inc. 

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Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact after the dissolution of adolescent dating or romantic relationships:

• Purpose: The purpose of this study is to obtain information about stalking and other forms of intrusive contact by surveying college undergraduates who were in a dating or intimate relationship that began during high school or college and lasted for at least 1 month, where one person made it clear that he or she wanted the relationship to end and the other person engaged in intrusive contact that lasted at least 2 weeks. The study looks at a variety of personal, family, and social characteristics in an effort to find a link between these characteristics and intrusive behavior.
• Participants: Questionnaires were distributed to 790 undergraduate students at two medium-sized public universities in the eastern United States, with 631 questionnaires returned (80% response rate). Of those returning questionnaires, 80% were female, which is representative of the male-female ratio of the social science classes from which the sample was taken. The average age of respondents was 20 years old and they were evenly distributed throughout 4 years of college.
• Questionnaire: The questionnaire asked questions about a variety of issues that might be related to a person's likelihood of being the target of intrusive contact or initiating such contact. The questionnaire contained basic demographic questions, questions about participants' relationships with friends and family members, and sexual activity during high school and college, which all participants completed. The second section of the questionnaire was completed by those who had been targeted with intrusive contact and the third section was completed by those who had initiated intrusive contact (both sections contained the same questions but with different wording). These sections asked questions about how the relationship developed, issues of influence in the relationship, the importance of the relationship to the two individuals, if the relationship was known to family members and friends, sexual issues, how the relationship ended, the types of intrusive behaviors that occurred, and how the participant reacted to the intrusive contact.

• Results: Of the 631 respondents, 127 (22% of the females and 15% of the males) had been the target of intrusive contact, 52 (7% of the females and 11% of the males) had initiated intrusive contact toward another person, and 8 (2% of the females and none of the males) had been both the target of intrusive contact after one relationship and had initiated intrusive contact after another. Seventy-three respondents had been targeted with intrusive contact after one relationship, while 35 had been targeted after two or more relationships. Forty of those who had initiated intrusive contact had done so after one relationship, while 12 had done so after two or more relationships. Females were more likely than males to have been the target of intrusive contact, but there were no statistically significant sex differences for being the initiator of intrusive contact.

  In order to detect differences in characteristics of the participants and their families based on if they had been targeted with intrusive contact, had initiated intrusive contact, or had no experiences with intrusive contact, a series of analyses were conducted. There were no statistically significant differences among the three groups on any variables related to family life, personal characteristics, or personal experiences. Additionally, individuals who had more than one experience of being targeted with intrusive contact did not differ from those who had one experience or no experiences on any personal and family characteristic measures. For this reason, it is not possible to predict which relationships might result in intrusive contact or who might be targeted by or initiate intrusive contact.

  The average age at which the relationships began was 16.56 for females and 15.79 for males, showing that most of the relationships had started during high school. Among the females who had been targeted with intrusive contact, 95% were targeted by a male and 5% by a female. Among the males, 15% were targeted by a male and 85% by a female. Twenty-seven of the females (25%) and none of the males had been sexually assaulted by the partner during the relationship.

  The intrusive contact began within a day of when the targeted person stated that he or she wanted the relationship to end in 50% of the cases. Of the 100 respondents who stated that the intrusive contact had ended, the median time of the intrusive contact was 8 weeks (M = 15.45, SD = 21.06, range = 2 to 128 weeks). Of the 14 respondents who stated that the intrusive contact was ongoing, the median was 22 weeks (M = 33.64, SD = 30.21, range = 2 to 99 weeks). No statistically significant associations were found between the sex of the person initiating the intrusive contact and the types of behaviors the individual engaged in (for example, males were no more likely than females to make threats of physical harm).

  Ninety-four percent (115) of the respondents told someone about the intrusive contact (51% told a parent, 37% told a sibling, and 94% told a friend). However, many respondents purposefully did not tell a parent, sibling, or friend. Only 15% (18) of the respondents reported the intrusive contact to a counseling agency or counselor and only 7 (39%) of these respondents found them to be helpful. Ten of the respondents (8%) contacted a police agency and 6 of them felt that reporting the contact to the police was helpful. Three respondents obtained a restraining order against the person who was targeting them. Twenty-three (22%) females and one (7%) male feared for their safety at some point during the intrusive contact, but no association existed between the sex of the target or of the person initiating the intrusive contact and whether the target feared for his or her safety.

  Thirty-eight (31%) respondents felt that their experience had a negative influence on their subsequent dating relationships or lives in general. However, 24 (21%) indicated a positive influence on dating relationships and 30 (26%) indicated a positive influence on their life in general.

Haugaard, J.J., & Seri, L.G. (2003). Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact after the dissolution of adolescent dating or romantic relationships. Violence and Victims, 18, 279-297.

Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact among adolescents and young adults from the perspective of the person initiating the intrusive contact:

• Purpose: The purpose of this study is to obtain information about stalking and other forms of intrusive contact from individuals who have initiated this type of behavior following the breakup of a romantic or dating relationship. Characteristics of the intrusive contact, the relationships in which it occurred, and those who initiated the intrusive contact are discussed.
• Participants: This study used the same participants and data as the study described previously (see above).
• Questionnaire: The same questionnaire was used as the study described previously (see above).

• Results: Sixty participants had initiated intrusive contact (52 had only been the initiator and 8 had been the initiator after one relationship and the target after a separate relationship). The average age at which the relationship began was 16.9 for females and 17.4 for males, with 58% of the relationships beginning when the respondent was less than 18 years old, indicating that more than half of the relationships had started during high school. Among both the male and female participants, all had pursued individuals of the opposite sex. Two of the females and none of the males had been sexually assaulted by the partner during the relationship.

  Twenty-nine (55%) of the respondents reported initiating intrusive contact within a day of when the relationship ended. Of the 41 respondents who stated that the intrusive contact had ended, the median time of the intrusive contact was 4 weeks (M = 7.6, SD = 10.44, range = 1 to 52 weeks). Of the 6 respondents who stated that the intrusive contact was ongoing, the median was 5 weeks (M = 35.5, SD = 49.2, range = 2 to 99 weeks).

  Respondents were asked to describe their present relationship with the target of intrusive contact. Three (6%) stated that they had a negative relationship with the other person, 10 (21%) stated that they had a positive relationship, 10 (21%) stated that they had a neutral relationship, 17 (35%) stated that they had no relationship, and 5 (11%) stated that they were now dating the other person. Fifteen (32%) of respondents felt that the relationship after which they engaged in intrusive contact had a negative influence on their dating relationships, 15 (32%) indicated a positive influence on their dating relationships, 14 (27%) stated that the experience had a negative influence on their life in general, and 21 (41%) indicated a positive influence on their life in general.

Haugaard, J.J., & Seri, L.G. (2004). Stalking and other forms of intrusive contact among adolescents and young adults from the perspective of the person initiating the intrusive contact. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 31, 37-54.

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