A Descriptive Study of Child and Adolescent Obsessional Followers

Abstract

This study is a preliminary descriptive investigation of the phenomenon of stalking in children and adolescents. Data on offender characteristics, victim characteristics, and stalking patterns were examined in a sample of 13 obsessional followers ranging in age from 9 to 18. Many research findings from investigations on adults who stalk were replicated in this study, including the fact that most stalking offenders are male, most victims are female, and about half of stalking cases involve threats made toward the victim. In addition, the rate of violence was 31% in this sample of juvenile stalking offenders and the most common methods of stalking were physical approach, telephone calls, and letter writing. Some interesting trends in the data emerged which require further study and suggest some differences may exist between juvenile and adult stalking offenders. The results are preliminary and suggest directions for future research.

Key questions to consider in stalking cases

“…Various studies have identified that a sizeable proportion of stalkers (up to two‐thirds) will damage their victim's property (Blaauw, Winkel, Sheridan, Malsch & Arensman, 2002) and this includes stalking engaged in by adolescents (McCann, 2000). Property damage may be associated with rage or frustration (perhaps because the offender is unable to attack the victim directly), revenge, a desire to harm something the victim cares about (e.g., destroying her wedding photographs), a wish to undermine her belief in a safe environment (e.g., by cutting brake cables), as a form of threat, or it may involve breaking and entering the victim's property or spying on the victim.…”

Adolescent stalking and risk of violence

“…One might expect that stalking perpetrators would be motivated by sexually desire and would therefore be more likely to engage in sexual violence against a dating partner or acquaintance. For example, McCann (2000a,b) reported that among his 13 youth stalkers the primary motive was desire for intimacy and sexual contact. Yet, Purcell et al (2010) found intimacy seeking and sexual predation were the least likely motives for stalking and the majority of stalkers in Fisher et al's (2014) sample were previous non-intimate acquaintances.…”

“…Yet, despite a vast literature addressing problems and consequences of stalking, the majority of the research has been restricted to adults and the little research with juveniles that does exist has generally been confined to case studies, small foreign based forensic samples, and anecdotal evidence (Leitz & Theriot, 2005; Roberts, Tolou-Shams, & Madera, 2016). In fact, a pervasive trend in the literature on adolescent stalking is to note the lack of literature on adolescent stalking (e.g., Evans & Meloy, 2011; Fisher et al, 2014; Leitz & Theriot, 2005; McCann, 2000a,b; Purcell, Moller, Flower, & Mullen, 2009; Purcell, Pathe, & Mullen, 2010; Roberts et al, 2016; Vaidya, Chalhoub, & Newing, 2005). In their systematic review, Roberts et al (2016) identified only three peer-reviewed empirical studies of stalking that reported on adolescent samples (Fisher et al, 2014; Purcell et al, 2009, 2010), two of which reported on the same sample.…”

Behavioral and Mental Health Correlates of Youth Stalking Victimization

“…2,23,24 Evidence suggests adolescents are more likely to stalk casual acquaintances than prior dating partners, 7,11 perhaps due to the limited dating history common to this young population. Therefore, assessment of stalking behaviors in the present sample was not restricted to dating partners.…”