Identification of stalking victimization in Brazil

• Grant number: 19/03579-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2019
• End date: July 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Principal Investigator: Sabrina Mazo D'Affonseca
• Grantee: Vanessa Akemi Odahara de Abreu
• Host Institution: Centro de Educação e Ciências Humanas (CECH). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stalking can be described as a form of interpersonal violence characterized by behaviors of persistent harassment with repetitive, intrusive and intimidating patterns directed toward a victim who feels troubled and intimidated by such conduct. The phenomenon, although approached by the media and newsreels, is still not criminalized in Brazil. In countries where it is criminalized, fear is often used as criteria to delimitate the division between criminality and the legal and social legitimacy of stalking. The main goal of this project is to replicate, in Brazilian territory, the research "Vitimação por stalking: Preditores do medo" (2012), which was carried out by Matos, Grangeia, Ferreira and Azevedo in Portugal. The specific objective is to adapt the victimization inventory by Stalking (IVS; Matos, Grangeia, Ferreira, & Azevedo, 2009) to Brazil; to evaluate the prevalence of lifetime stalking victimization and the impact of this victimization; and to identify the perception of the Brazilian population regarding this phenomenon. About 300 men and women 18 years of age or older will be invited to participate in the survey. Participants will respond to the "Stalking Victimization Inventory" (Matos, Grangeia, Ferreira, & Azevedo, 2009) adapted by the authors for use in national territory. Women are expected to report more experience of fear and the same type of behavior is expected to be interpreted and experienced differently by men and women. Younger and single victims are also expected to report increased fear faced with victimization. In contrast, men are expected to be pointed out as the majority of the phenomenon's offenders.