When the myth of Apollo and Daphne becomes reality: The Nomological Network and Latent Structure of Stalking and Sexual Violence.

General Symposium
Stalking can be defined as repeated and unwanted behaviours, ranging from following, spying, to homicide (White et al., 2020). While stalking is not an isolated event and can lead to sexual violence and sexual homicide, few research has explored this relationship. This symposium will be split into three talks:

Talk 1: The measurement and risk assessment of individual who has been convicted of stalking. Longpré, N., Tachmetzidi Papoutsi, M., & White, E.
While individual who has been convicted of stalking are considered as different from individual who has not been convicted, all empirical evidence points toward a dimensional assessment of stalking behaviours. A recent study, conducting taxometric analyses on a sample of N = 1032 participants, has revealed the dimensional nature of stalking (Longpré et al., 2021), and is providing empirical support to the idea that stalking behaviours exist on a continuum and strengthened the validity of previous findings in nonclinical populations and their applications all along the continuum, including with clinical populations. This talk will summarize the Longpré et al.’s (2021) study and will explain how previous research on the assessment of stalking and the risk assessment of individual who has been convicted of stalking can be used and applied to prevention strategies in nonclinical populations.

Talk 2: The relationship between stalking, sexual harassment, sexual coercion, and dark traits. Tachmetzidi Papoutsi, M. & Longpré, N.
Existing literature has suggested a link between stalking and sexual violence (Stefanska et al., 2021), as perpetrators of both crimes have been found to share adverse cognitions and personality traits (Tachmetzidi Papoutsi, 2021). However, the nature of this relationship remains underexplored. The aim of the study presented was to explore the relationship between stalking, sexual harassment, sexual coercion, gender, and Dark Tetrad personality traits. Analyses were conducted on a sample of N = 319 participants from the general population who were recruited online. Analyses revealed significant correlations between stalking, sexual harassment, and sexual coercion. No gender differences were found in stalking perpetration; however, small but significant gender differences were found in sexual harassment and sexual coercion. While the Dark Tetrad was correlated with stalking, sexual harassment, and sexual coercion, mediation analyses revealed that not all facets were significant predictors of these behaviours. These results are contributing towards the development of effective prevention strategies and towards the identification of risk factors that can explain the escalation of sexual violence.

Talk 3: The relationship between stalking and sexual homicide. Stefanska, E.
Risk factors for intimate partner homicide suggest that if the perpetrator displays controlling behaviours towards the victim, is sexually jealous especially when the victim has or is considering separation, is stalking the victim and has perpetrated forced sex, the potential for the dangerousness of the situation increases and as such these indicators should be treated as warning signs of severe sexual violence. The talk will discuss what we know about stalking behaviours displayed by individual who has been convicted of sexual homicide and individual who has been convicted of intimate partner sexual homicide. The sample used for the presentation consists of male who has been convicted of sexual homicide, who perpetrated against pubescent female victims (14 years old and over) and served a custodial sentence within Her Majesty’s Prison Service in England and Wales. Results are contributing towards the development of effective prevention strategies for feminicide.