An exploratory study of the influence of perpetrator and victim sex on perceptions of stalking

Research has examined the impact of perpetrator-victim sex on perceptions of stalking in opposite-sex situations, but not its influence in same-sex situations. Consequently, the present study employed a 2 × 2 independent measures design to investigate the influence of perpetrator and victim sex on perceptions of stalking in both same- and opposite-sex contexts. Some 124 university students read one of four vignettes and completed five-scale items relating to the behaviour described. It was apparent that perpetrator sex influenced perceptions of stalking while victim sex did not. The same behaviour was perceived to necessitate police intervention, and to cause the victim alarm or personal distress and fear of violence to a greater extent when the perpetrator was portrayed as a man rather than a woman. These perceptions exist despite evidence to suggest that female stalkers often pose as much of a threat as their male counterparts.