Brenik Megan, Tuluceanu Ana-Cristina, Smillie Emma, Carpes Barros Cassal Luan, Mead Caroline, Mojtahedi Dara
Faculty of Health and Wellbeing, School of Psychology, University of Bolton, Bolton BL3 5AB, UK.
Manchester Institute of Education, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL, UK.
Behav Sci (Basel). 2025 Jan 24;15(2):120. doi: 10.3390/bs15020120.
Many individuals will dismiss the seriousness of ex-partner stalking offences, often as a result of inaccurate and problematic beliefs about the offence (stalking myths). However, to date, stalking myth acceptance measurements have only considered attitudes about stereotypical stalking (male stalking a female). The current research considered whether inaccurate and problematic perceptions of stalking were dependent on the gender and sexuality of the perpetrator, victim, and participant. Additionally, it examined whether existing stalking myth acceptance scales measuring stereotypical stalking attitudes would predict perceptions of stalking incidents that involved female stalkers and/or male victims. Participants ( = 336) completed the stalking myth acceptance scale and then responded to a series of questions measuring their perceptions towards a stalking vignette. An independent groups design was used to manipulate the gender of the stalker and victim. The need for police intervention was greatest for incidents involving a male stalker and a female victim. Female victims of male stalking were predicted as being the most fearful, whilst male victims of female stalking were rated as least likely to be fearful. Heterosexual males and participants with minority sexual orientations were also more likely to identify the perpetrator's actions as stalking. Finally, the SMA scales predicted participants' attitudes for stereotypical stalking cases but not for the other scenarios. The findings demonstrate that gender plays a significant role in stalking perceptions and highlights the need for more inclusive SMA measurements to consider problematic attitudes towards non-stereotypical stalking.
许多人会忽视前伴侣跟踪骚扰犯罪的严重性，这通常是由于对该罪行存在不准确且有问题的认知（跟踪骚扰误区）。然而，迄今为止，对跟踪骚扰误区的认知测量仅考虑了对典型跟踪骚扰（男性跟踪女性）的态度。当前的研究探讨了对跟踪骚扰的不准确和有问题的认知是否取决于犯罪者、受害者及参与者的性别和性取向。此外，研究还考察了现有的测量典型跟踪骚扰态度的跟踪骚扰误区认知量表，是否能预测对涉及女性跟踪者和/或男性受害者的跟踪骚扰事件的认知。参与者（(n = 336)）完成了跟踪骚扰误区认知量表，然后回答了一系列测量他们对一个跟踪骚扰小插曲看法的问题。采用独立组设计来操控跟踪者和受害者的性别。对于涉及男性跟踪者和女性受害者的事件，警方干预的需求最大。预计男性跟踪的女性受害者最为恐惧，而女性跟踪的男性受害者被评为最不可能感到恐惧。异性恋男性和具有少数性取向的参与者也更有可能将犯罪者的行为认定为跟踪骚扰。最后，跟踪骚扰误区认知量表预测了参与者对典型跟踪骚扰案件的态度，但对其他情况则不然。研究结果表明，性别在跟踪骚扰认知中起着重要作用，并凸显了需要更具包容性的跟踪骚扰误区认知测量方法，以考虑对非典型跟踪骚扰的问题态度。
