University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
J Interpers Violence. 2022 Jun;37(11-12):NP9548-NP9574. doi: 10.1177/0886260520983267. Epub 2020 Dec 28.
Despite the growing interest from researchers' in recent years, stalking is a phenomenon of difficult operationalization within the scientific community. Examining the phenomenon in criminal justice professionals has become relevant since the work context is considered a fertile environment for the presence of stalking, despite underreported. This study aims specifically to know the prevalence, nature, dynamics, impact, and help-seeking behaviors (and its perceived effectiveness) of stalking victimization by criminal justice professionals stalked in Portugal. We were also interested in the professionals' perceptions of why they were stalked. The data were collected through a web-based survey, after the approval of the ethic committee. The sample was composed of 270 criminal justice professionals, mostly men (59.3%), with a mean age of 42.70 ( = 9.07) years. The results showed that 24.8% reported having been stalked at least once in their lifetime. Stalking prevalence was higher in women compared to men. Concerning the profession, the highest prevalence was verified in the group of professionals composed of lawyers, jurists, court officials, and auditors, followed by the group of magistrates, and finally the judges and the criminal police. More diversity of stalking behaviors experienced was associated with a higher frequency of those behaviors. Psychological health (70.7%) and lifestyle/behavioral changes (62.1%) were the most reported areas of impact. Being stalked in a private context (e.g., intimate relationships), for a longer period and feeling a higher level of fear as a result of the stalking campaign were associated with more impact. Most of the victims (74.6%) revealed having sought help to cope with the stalking experience, with women seeking more help than men (88.6% vs. 59.4%). For bringing evidence that criminal justice professionals are at risk of being stalked, these findings can contribute to the adoption of policies and strategies to prevent stalking victimization among this population.
尽管近年来研究人员对此越来越感兴趣，但跟踪仍然是科学界难以操作的现象。自工作环境被认为是跟踪发生的肥沃环境以来，研究刑事司法专业人员中的这种现象变得很有意义，尽管报告的情况较少。本研究的具体目的是了解在葡萄牙被跟踪的刑事司法专业人员中跟踪受害者的流行率、性质、动态、影响和寻求帮助的行为（及其感知的有效性）。我们还对专业人员对他们被跟踪的原因的看法感兴趣。这些数据是通过经伦理委员会批准的在线调查收集的。样本由 270 名刑事司法专业人员组成，其中大多数是男性（59.3%），平均年龄为 42.70（=9.07）岁。结果表明，24.8%的人报告在其一生中至少被跟踪过一次。与男性相比，女性的跟踪率更高。就职业而言，在由律师、法学家、法院官员和审计员组成的专业人员群体中，跟踪率最高，其次是治安法官群体，最后是法官和刑事警察群体。经历更多样化的跟踪行为与更高的行为频率相关。心理健康（70.7%）和生活方式/行为变化（62.1%）是报告最多的影响领域。在私人环境（例如亲密关系）中被跟踪、跟踪时间较长以及由于跟踪活动而感到更高水平的恐惧与更大的影响相关。大多数受害者（74.6%）表示曾寻求帮助以应对跟踪经历，女性寻求帮助的比例高于男性（88.6%比 59.4%）。为了证明刑事司法专业人员有被跟踪的风险，这些发现有助于采取政策和战略来预防该人群中的跟踪受害。
