Women who are stalked: questioning the fear standard

Violence Against Women. 2007 Jul;13(7):750-76. doi: 10.1177/1077801207302698.

Abstract

The authors use logistic regression with the National Violence Against Women Survey sample (N = 8,000) to explore patterns in fear reported by women who were stalked. One fourth of our sample felt no fear, with Black women significantly less likely to report fear (compared to White women). Women who were frequently stalked, stalked by an intimate or family member or acquaintance, or stalked by physical or communicative means reported feeling fearful more than did others. Requiring a woman to feel fearful before accepting her experience as an instance of stalking risks, the authors conclude, a miscarriage of justice, an undercount of the crime, and an abandonment of women (and others) who need validation from the state and protection from stalkers.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Battered Women / psychology
  • Battered Women / statistics & numerical data*
  • Courtship
  • Crime Victims / psychology
  • Crime Victims / statistics & numerical data*
  • Fear*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations
  • Logistic Models
  • Middle Aged
  • Obsessive Behavior / epidemiology*
  • Obsessive Behavior / psychology
  • Self Concept
  • Spouse Abuse*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States / epidemiology
  • Women's Health