Stalking victimisation in the context of intimate partner violence in Vhembe district, South Africa

The aim of this study was to assess stalking victimisation in the context of intimate partner violence in a sample of women receiving a protection order in South Africa. In all, 268 women (18 years and older) receiving a protection order in the Vhembe district in South Africa, were assessed by an external interviewer. Results indicated that from the total sample, 58.2 percent reported stalking victimisation. In multivariate regression analysis, younger age, lower physical violence, and higher utilisation of strategic responses to abuse were associated with stalking, while psychological abuse, sexual violence, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and partner characteristics were not associated with stalking. In conclusion, the study illustrates that a significant number of physically abused women were victimised by stalking. Several factors were identified with higher rates of stalking which can be utilised for interventions.