Mental Illness, Offending and Perceptions of Stalking
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Stalking and Risk: An Investigation into the Impact of Mental Illness and Offending on Perceptions of Stalking
IRAS ID
156847
Contact name
Amy Tostevin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Nottingham
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 25 days
Research summary
Research investigating how stalking behaviours are perceived by the public has increased over recent years. Little, however, is known about the perceptions of those who may present with risk factors that are found to be associated with stalking. This research aims to investigate the impact of mental illness and offending on perceptions of stalking and also, establish whether these perceptions are linked in any way with attitudes towards women. The study will involve the recruitment of 110 participants; male offenders with a mental illness detained in a secure hospital and male members of the general public. They will each be asked to read vignettes depicting a stalking situation and fill in four questionnaires related to both attitudes towards women and perceptions of stalking. Results will be analyzed statistically and the study will be written up as part of a Doctoral thesis and for publication in a journal. Findings from the study may begin to establish whether mental illness increases positive attitudes towards stalking and highlight aspects of mental illness that may be potential risk factors for future stalking behaviour. Combining this notion with offending behaviour could also pave the way for future research looking at what factors combined with mental illness and offending may contribute to different perceptions of stalking and potentially an increased risk of this type of behaviour.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/EM/1002
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion