Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact

Although the prevalence and associated features of stalking are well known in some countries, in many others, including Portugal, the experiences of stalking victims have remained unexplored until recently. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of stalking victimiz...

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Main Authors: Matos, M., Grangeia, H., Ferreira, C., Azevedo, V., Gonçalves, M., Sheridan, Lorraine
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2019
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76087
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author Matos, M.
Grangeia, H.
Ferreira, C.
Azevedo, V.
Gonçalves, M.
Sheridan, Lorraine
author_facet Matos, M.
Grangeia, H.
Ferreira, C.
Azevedo, V.
Gonçalves, M.
Sheridan, Lorraine
author_sort Matos, M.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Although the prevalence and associated features of stalking are well known in some countries, in many others, including Portugal, the experiences of stalking victims have remained unexplored until recently. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of stalking victimization within a Portuguese population. A national community sample (N = 1210) took part in face-to-face interviews based on the Stalking Victimization Inventory. Lifetime prevalence of stalking was 19.5%. The type of relationship between the victim and the stalker was one of the main predictors of stalking diversity and duration (the closer the relationship, the greater the diversity and duration). The stalking impact was higher in victims that experienced more diverse stalking behaviours and fear. We also concluded that fear and impact mediate the relationship between stalking diversity and helpseeking. Results demonstrate that stalking victimization significantly affects the Portuguese population.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-760872021-03-26T04:44:56Z Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact Matos, M. Grangeia, H. Ferreira, C. Azevedo, V. Gonçalves, M. Sheridan, Lorraine Although the prevalence and associated features of stalking are well known in some countries, in many others, including Portugal, the experiences of stalking victims have remained unexplored until recently. This study aimed to identify the prevalence, characteristics, and impact of stalking victimization within a Portuguese population. A national community sample (N = 1210) took part in face-to-face interviews based on the Stalking Victimization Inventory. Lifetime prevalence of stalking was 19.5%. The type of relationship between the victim and the stalker was one of the main predictors of stalking diversity and duration (the closer the relationship, the greater the diversity and duration). The stalking impact was higher in victims that experienced more diverse stalking behaviours and fear. We also concluded that fear and impact mediate the relationship between stalking diversity and helpseeking. Results demonstrate that stalking victimization significantly affects the Portuguese population. 2019 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76087 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2019.03.005 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ fulltext
spellingShingle Matos, M.
Grangeia, H.
Ferreira, C.
Azevedo, V.
Gonçalves, M.
Sheridan, Lorraine
Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title_full Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title_fullStr Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title_full_unstemmed Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title_short Stalking victimization in Portugal: Prevalence, characteristics, and impact
title_sort stalking victimization in portugal: prevalence, characteristics, and impact
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/76087