Health Care Professionals’ Knowledge of Stalking Perpetrators, Victims, Behaviors, and Coping Strategies: A Preliminary Study among Italian Hospitals

• Published in: TheScientificWorld Vol. 2019; no. 2019; pp. 1 - 9
• Main Authors: Maran, Daniela Acquadro, D’Argenio, Alberto, Loera, Barbara
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cairo, Egypt Hindawi Publishing Corporation 2019; Hindawi; John Wiley & Sons, Inc; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adult; Analysis; Anxiety; Behavior; Coping; Crime Victims - psychology; Female; Health aspects; Health care; Health Personnel; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Investigations; Italy; Knowledge; Male; Medical personnel; Men; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Personality disorders; Population; Professionals; Psychiatric-mental health nursing; Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychosis; Risk Factors; Stalking; Stalking - psychology; Threats; Victimization; Violence; Young Adult; Italy; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 2356-6140; 1537-744X; 1537-744X
• DOI: 10.1155/2019/9190431

The aim of this study was to investigate health care professionals’ level of in-depth understanding about the various types and characteristics of stalking. In particular, the study examines knowledge on the characteristics of stalkers and their victims, acted behaviors, and coping strategies used to stop the harassment. The data were collected by means of an ad hoc questionnaire. The sample comprised 210 participants working in local health units in Turin, a large city located in the northern part of Italy. The majority were women (160, 76.2%). The participants were aged 20–64 years, and the mean age was 41.63 years (SD = 11.18). The majority of participants were psychologists (99, 47.1%), 31 (14.8%) were nurses, 31 (14.8%) had an unspecified medical profession, 29 (13.8%) were psychiatrists, and 20 (9.5%) were general practitioners. According to the findings, interventions with male victims of stalking, especially when the stalker is a woman, require attention in particular. Underestimating the stalking experience is a risk, so health care professionals in their interventions must explain to the men the emotive and physical consequences of the victimization. Moreover, in suggesting coping strategies, health care professionals must consider the victim’s fear of reporting the incident not only to law enforcement authorities but also to family and friends. The findings showed that health care professionals need a better understanding of the stalking phenomenon. Education courses are a valuable tool to identify characteristics of the phenomenon, validate existing knowledge, and decrease the level of missing information to develop the skills needed to take appropriate action in cases of stalking.