Stalking Victimization Among Young Women in Japan:

Focusing Stalker-Victim Relationship and Intimate Relationship Break-Up

Abstract

The research aims to examine the characteristics of stalking in terms of stalker-victim relationship and to examine the risk factors of intimate partner violence in break-up intimate relationship. On-line surveys were conducted among conventional sample of young women aged 18-39 who registered an internet marking research firm. In the preliminary survey (n=10000), 20.8% of the respondents reported more than one type of victimization of 4 stalking types such as following, intimacy seeking and dense telephone call and messages. In the main survey, stalking victims after intimacy relation break-up (n=121) are compared with victims of intimacy-seeking stalkers (n=153) and non-victims who experienced intimacy relation break-up (n=135). From 26 items of stalking victimizations, factor analysis revealed 6 factors of mental obsession, home-invasion, physical violence, over-contact using telephone and messenger, indirect invasion and approach. The victims of intimate relationship break-up experienced more mental obsession, home-invasion and physical violence than the victims of intimacy-seeking stalkers. Also, logistic regression revealed that verbal abuse and hyper-intimacy in intimate relationship are associated with stalking victimization after break-up. Implications in police intervention and primary prevention of stalking are discussed.