Papers by Lorraine Sheridan
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Epidemiological data suggest that as many as 0.66% of adult women and 0.17% of adult men in the w... more Epidemiological data suggest that as many as 0.66% of adult women and 0.17% of adult men in the western world may suffer the subjective experience of being group-stalked (‘gang stalked’) at some point in their lives. Yet the gang stalking experience has been subject to little scientific study. This paper reports an attempt to elicit the core phenomena involved in gang-stalking by allowing them to emerge de novo through the qualitative analysis of accounts of individuals who describe being gang-stalked. Fifty descriptions of gang-stalking that satisfied study inclusion criteria were identified from the internet and subjected to content analysis. Twenty-four core phenomena were elicited, together with 11 principal sequelae of the experience of being gang-stalked. These were then divided into groups, producing a framework for the phenomena of the gang-stalking experience. The results were compared with frequencies of the same categories of experience then extracted from the original da...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Most studies of stalking and other forms of intrusive behavior are conducted in the West. Little ... more Most studies of stalking and other forms of intrusive behavior are conducted in the West. Little is known about the phenomenon in the African context. The present work represents the first dedicated stalking study conducted in Ghana. Based on a sample of 371 male and female university students, this study explored the gender distribution of overall perceptions and experiences, and frequency and duration of personal worst experiences of stalking and intrusive behavior. Several significant gender differences were noted. Females were generally more likely than males to perceive a range of intrusive activities as unacceptable. Females and males were equally likely to have experienced aggression and surveillance, and unwanted attention types of behaviors, while males were more likely than females to have experienced persistent courtship and impositions, and courtship and information seeking types of behaviors. In respect of their worst experience of intrusive behavior, females were more ...
International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
Most studies of stalking are conducted with samples from individualist cultures. Little is known ... more Most studies of stalking are conducted with samples from individualist cultures. Little is known about the phenomenon within collectivist cultures. The present study is arguably the first stalking study conducted in Hong Kong. Specifically, this study investigates a large sample of Asian college students’ ( N = 2,496) perceptions of stalking behavior, potential reasons for stalking, and coping strategies that may be employed by stalking victims. Associations between these variables and gender and culture (Hong Kong vs. Mainland China) were also explored. Gender was more strongly associated with perceptions of stalking behavior than was culture. Gender was less strongly associated with perceptions concerning motivations for stalking and the effectiveness of coping strategies that may be employed by stalking victims than was culture. Effect sizes for all associations with culture were small, perhaps due to a high degree of similarity between the two cultures examined. The findings are...
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Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10683160701340528, Dec 1, 2007
Very little empirical work exists on cyberstalking. The current study analysed detailed questionn... more Very little empirical work exists on cyberstalking. The current study analysed detailed questionnaires completed by 1051 self-defined stalking victims. Almost half (47.5%) reported harassment via the Internet, but only 7.2% of the sample was judged to have been cyberstalked. Ordinal regression analyses of four groups of victims, categorized according to degree of cyber involvement in their victimization, revealed a general picture of similarity between the groups in terms of the stalking process, responses to being stalked, and the effects on victims and third parties. It was concluded that cyberstalking does not fundamentally differ from traditional, proximal stalking, that online harassment does not necessarily hold broad appeal to stalkers, and that those who target ex-intimates remain the most populous stalker type.
Rassegna Di Psicologia, 2009
Http Dx Doi Org 10 1080 10683160701340577, Sep 6, 2007
Psychopathology and maladaptive personality functioning are purported to play a significant role ... more Psychopathology and maladaptive personality functioning are purported to play a significant role in the aetiology of sexual offending (eg Ahlmeyer et al., 2003; Murray, 2000). The present study examined whether this applied to those individuals who commit sexual offences ...
Written Language Literacy, 2002
Omega Journal of Death and Dying, 2009
In this study, 2,894 participants rated attitudes toward their favorite public figure on the Cele... more In this study, 2,894 participants rated attitudes toward their favorite public figure on the Celebrity Attitude Scale. It was noted whether each figure was alive or dead, and a panel of four independent judges assessed each in terms of their moral conduct and physical attractiveness. Dead figures appealed less and were subject to lower “intense personal” celebrity worship, and death was unrelated to “borderline pathological” and “deleterious imitation” celebrity worship. Physical attractiveness was positively related to overall celebrity worship and “intense personal” celebrity worship, but negatively related to “borderline pathological” and “deleterious imitation” celebrity worship. Moral conduct was associated negatively with “deleterious imitation” celebrity worship. Results are discussed briefly in terms of their implications for research on physical attractiveness and “copycat suicide.”
J Forensic Sci, 2010
Stalking behavior and victim-stalker relationship are often the principal known factors in a stal... more Stalking behavior and victim-stalker relationship are often the principal known factors in a stalking case. Thus, they are of great importance when trying to identify factors contributing to stalking duration. The present study aims to identify distinct subgroups of stalking victims based on measures of behavioral stalking dimensions. These victim subgroups, stalking dimensions, and victim-stalker relationship are examined in relation to stalking duration. Using a sample of 137 university students, latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed five distinct victim subgroups based on stalker behavior dimensions: surveillance, low-profile, social lurker, wide scope, and baseline stalkers. The subgroups were significantly related to stalking duration and explained a considerable amount of the variance along with the stalking dimensions and victim-stalker relationship. Connections to stalking literature and utility of person-orientated methods in stalking research are discussed.
A Psychological and Behavioral Analysis, 2008
Appl Cognitive Psychol, 2001
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Papers by Lorraine Sheridan