Understanding of Factors Associated with Reporting to the Police, Helping Seeking, and Adopting in Self-protection among Stalking Victims: A Latent Class Analysis

Stalking Discourse on Reddit: A Comparative Analysis of Pre- and Post-COVID-19 Pandemic Using Big Data

Stalking, a widespread and distressing phenomenon, has recently garnered considerable attention. The advent of digital platforms has revolutionized the landscape of stalking, presenting new avenues and challenges for research. However, the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic on stalking remains underexplored, despite extensive studies on similar crimes such as intimate partner violence and domestic violence. To address this gap, our study focused on Reddit, a prominent online platform with a diverse user base and open discussion. Through an analysis of posts from the subreddit (https://www.reddit.com/r/Stalking/), we sought to compare the discourse on stalking before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We found notable shifts in stalking-related posts before and after the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly with the emergence of new topics centered on cyberstalking. We also observed that the experiences of stalking victims have significantly changed following the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our findings, we discussed the implications for policies to help stalking victims.

Beyond the Initial Assault: Characterizing Revictimization in Intimate Partner Violence and Its Implications for Women's Health

Recent research has emphasized the importance of addressing specific victim-related factors to reduce victims' vulnerability and prevent future revictimization experiences. This study aimed to analyze the vulnerability profiles of women who were victims of intimate partner violence, including those who had experienced a single incident of violence and those who had endured revictimization. Participants were 338 women with active judicial protection measures registered in the system of support for victims of gender violence (VioGén) in Madrid, Spain. The analysis considered sociodemographic characteristics, victimization history, perceived triggers of violence, women's responses and feelings, as well as clinical outcomes linked to revictimization history. The study revealed that many victims faced socioeconomic vulnerability. Furthermore, the findings underscored the intricate link between the likelihood of enduring chronic violence and women's awareness of early indicators of violence risk, their initial responses to aggression, communication skills, and recurrent behaviors in the context of an established violent dynamic. This study offers valuable insights for law enforcement to identify the risk of revictimization. Furthermore, findings raise awareness about the particularly vulnerable situation of some women to repeated victimization experiences and provide relevant information for clinical intervention.

Perceived Reportability of Intimate Partner Violence against Women to the Police and Help-seeking: A National Survey

The literature has consistently found that victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) against women are reluctant to make their situation visible and report it to the police. Whether victims perceive and define IPV behaviors as reportable is key to understanding in which cases the police are seen as potential providers of help or whether other potential sources of help (family, friends, professionals, etc.) are preferred. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the influence of perceived reportability of IPV on women's selection of the police as a source of help compared to not seeking help or selecting other sources of help. Structural equation modeling was applied to data from 479 female participants drawn from a nationally representative sample of 1,112 male and female Chilean adolescents and young adults conducted by the National Youth Institute of Chile. The results showed that perceived reportability was a significant predictor of choosing the police as a source of help compared to other informal sources of help, such as family and friends. However, perceived reportability did not affect help-seeking choices between the police and other formal help sources (psychologists, public services). Participants' IPV victimization and attitudes toward IPV also played a specific role in selecting the police as a source of help. These findings highlight the complexity of the visibility of women's IPV victimization to the police and the need to examine its explanatory mechanisms.