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Updated: Jul 4, 2025
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The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
70.9K
Police-Identified Psychological Distress, Substance Use, and Physical Violence Among Male Intimate Partner Stalkers
Ebonnie Landwehr1, Lynne Roberts1, David Garratt-Reed1
1Curtin University, School of Population Health, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
Summary
Police data revealed that psychological distress and drug use predict moderate stalking violence against intimate partner victims. Co-occurring drug and alcohol use was the strongest indicator of moderate violence.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Understanding risk factors for stalking violence is crucial for victim safety and intervention.
- Limited research has specifically investigated psychological distress and substance use as predictors of stalking violence severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if factors recorded in police data can predict the severity of stalking violence against intimate partner victims.
- To examine the association between psychological distress, substance use, and stalking violence severity.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of police data from the Western Australia Police Force for 603 men charged with stalking a female intimate partner.
- Binomial logistic regression models were used to assess the predictive power of police-identified histories of psychological distress and substance use on violence severity.
Main Results:
- Police-identified histories of psychological distress and drug use were significant predictors of moderate stalking violence.
- A co-occurring history of drug and alcohol use emerged as the strongest predictor of moderate violence (Odds Ratio = 6.8).
- These factors did not predict severe stalking violence.
Conclusions:
- Findings highlight the importance of considering violence severity and specific substance types when assessing stalking risk factors.
- The presence of psychological distress and/or substance use in police data may indicate an unmet need for treatment among individuals exhibiting stalking behaviors.
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