TY - JOUR
T1 - "It's not really stalking if you know the person": measuring community attitudes that normalize, justify and minimise stalking
AU - McKeon, Bronwyn Mary
AU - McEwan, Troy Erin
AU - Luebbers, Stefan
PY - 2015
Y1 - 2015
N2 - It has been hypothesised that attitudes minimising, justifying and normalising stalking exist in the community, influencing whether or not stalking is recognised, and potentially affecting the responses of police and others to whom victims turn for support. This study investigates the nature of these attitudes as measured using the Stalking Related Attitudes Questionnaire (SRAQ). Two hundred and forty-four community members and 280 police officers in Victoria, Australia (total sample 61 male, mean age=43.3, SD = 13.3) completed the SRAQ. Full information factor analysis identified three underlying stalking-related attitudes: ?stalking isn t serious?, ?stalking is romantic? and ?victims are to blame?. Males endorsed all to a greater extent than females, whereas police and community only differed in that police believed stalking to be more serious. Stronger stereotype endorsement was related to judgements of not guilty in a fictional stalking case. These results indicate that attitudes and beliefs that downplay, excuse and normalise stalking behaviour can be measured, and have some influence on recognition of stalking behaviour
AB - It has been hypothesised that attitudes minimising, justifying and normalising stalking exist in the community, influencing whether or not stalking is recognised, and potentially affecting the responses of police and others to whom victims turn for support. This study investigates the nature of these attitudes as measured using the Stalking Related Attitudes Questionnaire (SRAQ). Two hundred and forty-four community members and 280 police officers in Victoria, Australia (total sample 61 male, mean age=43.3, SD = 13.3) completed the SRAQ. Full information factor analysis identified three underlying stalking-related attitudes: ?stalking isn t serious?, ?stalking is romantic? and ?victims are to blame?. Males endorsed all to a greater extent than females, whereas police and community only differed in that police believed stalking to be more serious. Stronger stereotype endorsement was related to judgements of not guilty in a fictional stalking case. These results indicate that attitudes and beliefs that downplay, excuse and normalise stalking behaviour can be measured, and have some influence on recognition of stalking behaviour
UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/13218719.2014.945637
U2 - 10.1080/13218719.2014.945637
DO - 10.1080/13218719.2014.945637
M3 - Article
SN - 1321-8719
VL - 22
SP - 291
EP - 306
JO - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
JF - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
IS - 2
ER -