Incident Characteristics and Post-Trauma Cognitions in Relation to Mental and Physical Health in Women Stalking Survivors

To date, the existing research on risk factors for mental and physical health symptoms among stalking survivors has predominantly focused on characteristics of the stalking incident(s). To contribute to the literature, the present study examined both stalking characteristics and post-trauma cognitions in relation to mental and physical health symptoms, after controlling for exposure to potentially traumatic life events. One hundred eighty-one cisgender women who had experienced stalking completed an online survey about the stalking incident(s), post-trauma cognitions, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression symptoms, physical health difficulties, and exposure to potentially traumatic events. The results demonstrated that post-trauma cognitions were significantly associated with PTSD, depression, and physical health symptoms above and beyond the influence of potentially traumatic events and stalking characteristics. After including post-trauma cognitions in the analysis, the stalking incident characteristics were no longer related to PTSD, depression, and physical health symptoms. Furthermore, there were significant indirect associations between stalking characteristics and both the mental and physical health symptoms via post-trauma cognitions. Overall, the findings suggested that by focusing on incident characteristics, the existing research has been overlooking potentially informative and relevant mechanisms that help explain stalking survivor outcomes.