Top

Published in:

01-10-2020 | Original Article

Correlates of Intimate Partner Stalking Precipitated Homicides in the United States

Authors: Abha Rai, Tatiana Villarreal-Otálora, Julianne Blackburn, Y. Joon Choi

Published in: Journal of Family Violence | Issue 7/2020

Abstract

Intimate partner stalking is a significant health and safety concern in the United States, yet research on this phenomenon remains minimal. The purpose of this study is to examine the correlates of homicides precipitated by intimate partner stalking among a sample of homicide victims. This cross-sectional study included a subsample of adult homicide cases classified as intimate partner violence victims (N = 6028) between 2003 and 2015 on the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). The analysis explored victim- and suspect-related factors’ associations to homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. Bivariate associations were examined using Pearson’s correlation and Fisher’s exact test. Those meeting a significance threshold of .25 were included in the final analysis. Missingness was addressed with multiple imputation. The logistic regression analysis examined victim (marital status, education level, and geographic region of the homicide) and suspect (age, sex, firearm, and documented history of abuse towards victim) variables’ associations to homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. The findings suggest that the victim’s marital status, suspect’s sex, suspect’s use of a firearm, geographic region of the homicide, and a documented history of abuse of victim by the suspect had significant relationships with homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking. The associations between death by firearm and previously documented history of abuse with homicide precipitated by intimate partner stalking have substantial implications for the criminal justice system. Limitations of the NVDRS dataset, recommendations for research, policy and prevention are discussed.

Allison, P. (2002). Missing data. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.CrossRef

Allison, P. (2012). Why you probably need more imputations than you think. Retrieved from http://www.statisticalhorizons.com/more-imputations. Accessed 15 Dec 2019.

Backes, B., Fedina, L. & Holmes, J. (2020). The criminal justice system response to intimate partner stalking: a systematic review of quantitative and qualitative research. Journal of Family Violence. (in press).

Basile, K. C., Arias, I., Desai, S., & Thompson, M. P. (2004). The differential association of intimate partner physical, sexual, psychological, and stalking violence and posttraumatic stress symptoms in a nationally representative sample of women. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 17(5), 413–421. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOTS.0000048954.50232.d8.CrossRefPubMed

Basile, K. C., Swahn, M. H., Chen, J., & Saltzman, L. E. (2006). Stalking in the United States: recent national prevalence estimates. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 31(2), 172–175. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2006.03.028.CrossRefPubMed

Baum, K., Catalano, S. & Rand, M. (2009). Stalking victimization in the United States. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ovw/legacy/2012/08/15/bjs-stalking-rpt.pdf. Accessed 15 Feb 2019.

Bayakly, R. (2019). Georgia violence death reporting system: An overview. Retrieved from https://dph.georgia.gov/sites/dph.georgia.gov/files/Georgia%20Violent%20Death%20Reporting%20System%20Overview%20Rana%20Bayakly.pdf. Accessed 30 Jan 2020.

Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., Chen, J., & Stevens, M. R. (2011). The national intimate partner and sexual violence survey: 2010 summary report. Atlanta: National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Blair, J. M., Fowler, K. A., Jack, S. P., & Crosby, A. E. (2015). The national violent death reporting system: overview and future directions. Injury Prevention: Journal of the International Society for Child and Adolescent Injury Prevention, 22(1), 6–11. https://doi.org/10.1136/injuryprev-2015-041819.CrossRef

Brady, P. Q., & Hayes, B. E. (2018). The intersection of stalking and the severity of intimate partner abuse. Violence & Victims, 33(2), 218–235. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-16-00193.CrossRef

Breiding, M. J., Smith, S. G., Basile, K. C., Walters, M. L., Chen, J., & Merrick, M. T. (2014). Prevalence and characteristics of sexual violence, stalking, and intimate partner violence victimization- national intimate partner and sexual violence survey, 2011. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Surveillance Summaries, 63(8), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.7.1089.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Bursac, Z., Gauss, C. H., Williams, D. K., & Hosmer, D. W. (2008). Purposeful selection of variables in logistic regression. Source Code for Biology and Medicine, 3(17). https://doi.org/10.1186/1751-0473-3-17.

Campbell, J. C., Webster, D., Koziol-McLain, J., Block, C., Campbell, D., Curry, M. A., et al. (2003). Risk factors for femicide in abusive relationships: results from a multisite case control study. American Journal of Public Health, 93(7), 1089–1097. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.7.1089.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Campbell, J. C., Glass, N., Sharps, P. W., Laughon, K., & Bloom, T. (2007). Intimate partner homicide: review and implications of research and policy. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 8(3), 246–269. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838007303505.CrossRef

Catalano, S. (2012). Stalking victims in the United States. U.S. Department of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/svus_rev.pdf

Center for Problem-oriented Policing (2004). Stalking. Retrieved from https://popcenter.asu.edu/problems/stalking/print/. Accessed 20 Sept 2019.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2015). National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS) Coding Manual Revised. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/nvdrs/coding_manual.html. Accessed 20 September 2019.

Ertl, A., Sheats, K. J., Petrosky, E., Betz, C. J., Yuan, K., & Fowler, K. A. (2019). Surveillance for violent deaths — National violent death reporting system, 32 States, 2016. MMWR Surveillance Summaries, 68,(No. SS-9), 1-36. 10.15585/mmwr.ss.6809a1externalicon.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. (2019). Crime in the United States, 2018. Retrieved from https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-the-u.s/2018/crime-in-the-u.s.-2018/tables/expandedhomicide-data-table-10.xls. Accessed 17 Dec 2019.

Giffords Law Center to prevent Gun Violence. (2018). Domestic violence & firearms. Retrieved from https://lawcenter.giffords.org/gun-laws/policy-areas/who-can-have-a-gun/domestic-violence-firearms/. Accessed 1 Feb 2019.

Graham, J. W., Olchowski, A. E., & Gilreath, T. D. (2007). How many imputations are really needed? Some practical clarifications of multiple imputation theory. Prevention Science, 8(3), 206–213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-007-0070-9.CrossRefPubMed

Halket, M. M., Gormley, K., Mello, N., Rosenthal, L., & Mirkin, M. P. (2014). Stay with or leave the abuser? The effects of domestic violence victim’s decision on attributions made by young adults. Journal of Family Violence, 29(1), 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-0139555-4.CrossRef

Kivisto, A. J. (2015). Male perpetrators of intimate partner homicide: a review and proposed typology. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law, 43(3), 300–312.

Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. (2014). Commonsense solutions: State laws to address gun violence against women. Retrieved from https://lawcenter.giffords.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Commonsense-Solutions-State-Laws-to-Address-Gun-Violence-Against-Women.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept 2019.

Li, C. (2013). Little's test of missing completely at random. The Stata Journal, 13(4), 795–809. https://doi.org/10.1177/1536867X1301300407.CrossRef

Little, R. J. (1988). A test of missing completely at random for multivariate data with missing values. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 83(404), 1198–1202.CrossRef

Logan, T. K., & Walker, R. (2009). Partner stalking: psychological dominance or “business as usual”? Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, 10(3), 247–270. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260506295380.CrossRefPubMed

Logan, T. K., & Walker, R. (2019). The impact of stalking-related fear and gender on personal safety outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence (online). https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260519829280.

Logan, T. K., Cole, J., Shannon, L., & Walker, R. (2006). Partner stalking: How women respond, cope, and survive. New York: Springer.

Logan, T. K., Shannon, L., & Cole, J. (2007a). Stalking victimization in the context of intimate partner violence. Violence and Victims, 22(6), 699–683. https://doi.org/10.1891/088667007782793147.CrossRef

Logan, T. K., Shannon, L., Cole, J., & Swanberg, J. (2007b). Partner stalking and implications for women’s employment. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 22(3), 268–291. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260506295380.CrossRefPubMed

Lynch, K. (2015). Police officers’ attitudes and challenges with charging stalking. Violence and Victims, 30(6), 1037–1048. https://doi.org/10.1891/0886-6708.VV-D-13-00085.CrossRefPubMed

Max, W., Rice, D. P., Finkelstein, E., Bardwell, R. A., & Leadbetter, S. (2004). The economic toll of intimate partner violence against women in the United States. Violence & Victims, 19(3), 259–272. https://doi.org/10.1891/088667004780905660.CrossRef

McFarlane, J. M., Campbell, J. C., Wilt, S., Sachs, C. J., Ulrich, Y., & Xu, X. (1999). Stalking and intimate partner femicide. Homicide Studies, 3(4), 300–316. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088767999003004003.CrossRef

McFarlane, J. M., Campbell, J. C., & Watson, K. (2002). Intimate partner stalking and femicide: urgent implications for women’s safety. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 20, 51–68. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.477.CrossRef

Nobles, M. R., Cramer, R. J., Zottola, S. A., Desmarais, S. L., Gemberling, T. M., Holley, S. R., & Wright, S. (2018). Prevalence rates, reporting, and psychosocial correlates of stalking victimization: results from a three-sample cross-sectional study. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 53, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1557-3.CrossRef

Owens, J. G. (2016). Why definitions matter: stalking victimization in the United States. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 31(12), 2196–2226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515573577.CrossRefPubMed

Parsons, C. (2018). Stalking as a risk factor for future gun violence. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/guns-crime/reports/2018/07/31/453616/stalking-risk-factor-future-gun-violence/

Paulozzi, L. J., Mercy, J., Frazier, L., & Annest, J. L. (2004). CDC’s national violent death reporting system: background and methodology. Injury Prevention, 10, 47–52. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2003.00343.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Riggs, D. S., Caulfield, M. B., & Street, A. E. (2000). Risk for domestic violence: factors associated with perpetration and victimization. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(10), 1289–1316.CrossRef

Schafer, J. L., & Graham, J. W. (2002). Missing data: our view of the state of the art. Psychological Methods, 7(2), 147–177. https://doi.org/10.1037//1082-989X.7.2.147.CrossRefPubMed

Sheridan, L., & Davies, G. M. (2001). Violence and the prior victim-stalker relationship. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 11, 102–116. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.375.CrossRefPubMed

Spencer, C. M., & Stith, S. M. (2018). Risk factors for male perpetration and female victimization of intimate partner homicide: a meta-analysis. Trauma, Violence & Abuse, 1–14. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838018781101.

Spitzberg, B. H., & Cupach, W. R. (2007). The state of the art of stalking: taking stock of the emerging literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 12, 64–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2006.05.001.CrossRef

Stahly, G. B. (2008). Battered woman why don’t they just leave? In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden, & P. D. Rowe (Eds.), Lectures on the psychology of women (4th ed.). Boston: McGraw Hill.

StataCorp. (2017). Stata statistical software: Release 15. College Station: StataCorp LLC.

Stöckl, H., Devries, K., Rotstein, A., Abrahams, N., Campbell, J., Watts, C., & Moreno, C. G. (2013). The global prevalence of intimate partner homicide: a systematic review. The Lancet, 382(9895), 859–865. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61030-2.CrossRef

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Needham: Allyn and Bacon.

Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. (1998). Stalking in America: Findings from the national violence against women survey. National Institute of Justice.

Tjaden, P. & Thoennes, N. (2001). Stalking: Its role in serious domestic violence cases. Final report submitted to the National Institute of Justice. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/187446.pdf. Accessed 19 Mar 2019.

Tjaden, P., & Thoennes, N. (2002). The role of stalking in domestic violence crime reports generated by the Colorado Springs Police Department. In K. E. Davis, I. Hanson Frieze, & R. D. Maiuro (Eds.), Stalking: Perspectives on victims and perpetrators (pp. 330–352). New York: Springer.

U.S. Census Bureau. (2018). Geographic terms and concepts - census divisions and census regions. Retrieved from https://www2.census.gov/geo/pdfs/maps-data/maps/reference/us_regdiv.pdf. Accessed 20 Sept 2019.

U.S. Department of Justice. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reporting Program Data: Supplementary Homicide Reports (2015). Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2017-05-04. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36790.v1

Vigdor, E. R. (2006). Do laws restricting access to firearms by domestic violence offenders prevent intimate partner homicide? Evaluation Review, 30, 313–332. https://doi.org/10.1177/0193841X06287307.CrossRefPubMed

World Health Organization. (2014). Global status report on violence prevention 2014. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/status_report/2014/en/. Accessed 17 Dec 2019.

Wright, R. E. (1995). Logistic regression. In L. G. Grimm & P. R. Yarnold (Eds.), Reading and understanding multivariate statistics (pp. 217–244). Washington, DC, US: American Psychological Association.

Zeoli, A. M. (2010). Effects of domestic violence policies, alcohol taxes, and police staffing levels on intimate partner homicide in large US cities. Injury Prevention, 16(2), 90–95. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2009.024620.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral

Title: Correlates of Intimate Partner Stalking Precipitated Homicides in the United States
Authors: Abha Rai
Tatiana Villarreal-Otálora
Julianne Blackburn
Y. Joon Choi
Publication date: 01-10-2020
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Family Violence / Issue 7/2020
Print ISSN: 0885-7482
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-020-00137-5

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Correlates of Intimate Partner Stalking Precipitated Homicides in the United States

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 7/2020

Intersections of Stalking and Technology-Based Abuse: Emerging Definitions, Conceptualization, and Measurement

Responding to Stalking Victims: Perceptions, Barriers, and Directions for Future Research

Challenges with and Recommendations for Intimate Partner Stalking Policy and Practice: a Practitioner Perspective

Guest Editor Introduction: Special Issue on Intimate Partner Stalking

Intimate Partner Stalking among College Students: Examining Situational Contexts Related to Police Notification

The Criminal Justice System Response to Intimate Partner Stalking: a Systematic Review of Quantitative and Qualitative Research