Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
Partner Stalking as a Possible Risk Factor for Subsequent Intimate Partner Violence Reported to New Zealand Police
Jordan Tomkins1, Lisa Tompson1, Devon L L Polaschek1
1University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
|July 21, 2026
Summary
Partner stalking does not uniquely predict intimate partner violence (IPV) recurrence. While initially associated with IPV, its predictive power diminishes when controlling for other common risk factors in police assessments.
Area of Science:
- Criminology
- Forensic Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Effective intimate partner violence (IPV) response relies on accurate risk assessment for intervention.
- Current IPV guidelines highlight partner stalking as a significant risk factor for recurrence and severe outcomes.
- Empirical evidence supporting partner stalking's predictive role in IPV recurrence is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether partner stalking predicts IPV recurrence.
- To determine if partner stalking predicts physical IPV recurrence.
- To assess the predictive utility of partner stalking when controlling for other known risk factors.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,126 intimate partner violence cases reported to New Zealand Police.
- Examination of partner stalking as a predictor for any IPV recurrence and physical IPV recurrence over 12 months.
- Statistical modeling to control for other commonly assessed risk factors in police risk assessments.
Main Results:
- Partner stalking initially predicted any IPV recurrence, regardless of severity or type.
- This predictive significance was lost when controlling for other assessed risk factors.
- Partner stalking did not predict physical IPV recurrence.
Conclusions:
- Partner stalking may not be a unique or independent predictor of IPV recurrence.
- Its predictive utility is often encompassed by other, more comprehensive risk factors.
- Findings suggest a need to ground IPV risk assessment practices in robust empirical evidence.
Related Concept Videos
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
01:23Jealousy in Romantic Relationships
Jealousy is an instinctive yet socially complex emotion that arises when a close relationship is threatened. Its origins lie in both biological imperatives and sociocultural conditioning, making it a multifaceted psychological construct. Although universally experienced, the triggers and expressions of jealousy vary notably between individuals, especially across genders, due to evolutionary pressures and cultural influences.Gender Differences and Evolutionary TheoryEvolutionary theory explains...
02:12Relationship Formation
What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
01:28Hazan and Shaver's Attachment Styles
Attachment theory, developed initially to explain infant–caregiver bonds, has been extended to illuminate patterns of intimacy in adult romantic relationships. Psychologists Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver proposed that the attachment styles observed in infancy form a framework for how individuals approach emotional closeness and conflict in adulthood. These attachment styles—secure, avoidant, and anxious—are linked to enduring patterns of behavior and emotional regulation in adult relationships.
03:34Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood
Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships.
02:09Bystander Effect
The discussion of bullying highlights the problem of witnesses not intervening to help a victim. This is a common occurrence, as the following well-publicized event demonstrates. In 1964, in Queens, New York, a 19-year-old woman named Kitty Genovese was attacked by a person with a knife near the back entrance to her apartment building and again in the hallway inside her apartment building. When the attack occurred, she screamed for help numerous times and eventually died from her stab wounds.