A survey of mental health nurses’ experiences of stalking

Abstract

Although an increasing amount of literature has appeared in recent years on the subject of stalking, little is known about mental health nurses' (MHNs) experiences of this phenomenon. The aims of the study were to investigate: (1) the incidence of stalking among a sample of MHNs in the UK; (2) who the perpetrators were; (3) the impact of stalking on MHNs; and (4) how MHNs manage their experiences. Employing a survey design, the British version of the Rutgers-Penn clinicians and stalking questionnaire was distributed to a convenience sample of 400 MHNs in the UK. Data were analysed by means of descriptive statistics and McNemar test. The findings reveal that: (1) 50% (n = 56) of MHNs who completed the questionnaire had been stalked; (2) on the whole, victims were female (78.6%) and stalkers males (82.1%); (3) stalkers were from a variety of social groups including mental health service users and MHNs; (4) victims were threatened, followed, physically assaulted and received unwanted communication; (5) MHNs reported a variety of stress-related (psychological and behavioural) responses to their experiences; and (6) employed a range of coping strategies. This study serves to raise awareness of a number of issues surrounding an under-reported phenomenon in mental health nursing and points to the need for further research to explore the reliability and consequences of the findings.

Psychiatrists' experiences of stalking in Ireland: prevalence and characteristics

“…In absolute terms however, more female psychiatrists reported being victims of stalking (51%). This is consistent with a UK study of psychiatrists 11 and nurses 12 that found that more females (59% and 78.6% respectively) had been victims of stalking behaviour.…”

“…However, in another UK study that looked at stalking of nurses, 12 82.1% of the stalkers were males.…”

When Social Workers Are Stalked: Risks, Strategies, and Legal Protections

“…Fifty percent of a convenience sample of 112 mental health nurses reported at least one stalking experience in their careers. However, the design of this study does not allow for generalization of this rate to all mental health nurses (Ashmore et al 2006). As noted earlier, a survey of 171 social workers found that 16.3% reported being stalked at some point in their careers (MacDonald and Sirotich 2005).…”

Stalking Behaviour By Patients Towards Psychiatrists in a Large Mental Health Organization

“…A survey by Smoksy (2003) reported that 37% of nurses had been stalked, a third by former mental health clients. In a larger UK sample, 50% of mental health nurses reported at least one stalking experience, again about one third of which were carried out by service users (Ashmore et al, 2006).…”