Stalking

Stalking consists of repeated, unwanted behavior that causes a victim distress or fear, and can have severe impact upon a victim’s life. This chapter highlights definitions and prevalence of stalking, and explores the behaviors that constitute stalking, as well as cyberstalking, the perpetration of stalking solely online. Typologies of stalking, which classify perpetrators to provide indication of the nature, duration, and severity of the stalking, and risk of future harm to the victim, are described. Risk factors for stalking and their use in the development of various risk assessment and screening tools are discussed, as are the validity of those tools. Finally, treatment of stalking perpetrators and the psychological, physical, and social impacts on victims are discussed.