Stalked lives: Finnish women’s emotional experiences of post-separation stalking

Abstract

This qualitative study analyses and discusses the emotional experiences of Finnish women stalked by their male ex-partners. In elucidating the phenomenon, the research informs efforts to help women in such circumstances. The study draws on interviews with 15 stalking victims and five professionals who have worked with them. It identifies two categories illuminating the nature of the women’s emotional experiences: the emotional web of stalking and the spectre of stalking. The former describes the place- and time-related emotions that tie together the discrete acts and past and potential violent experiences of being stalked; the latter captures the state of being stalked – the social reality in which the women live – created by the emotions stalking evokes and their impact on the victim’s social relations and social environment. Taken together, the two categories encompass the salience of a woman’s earlier relationship with the stalker, her social relationships, the socio-cultural context and the unpredictable nature of stalking, including violent and non-violent behaviour. Implications for social workers, as well as for other professionals working with stalking victims, are discussed. The findings highlight that women’s emotional experiences should be seen as authentic and be given full credence as statements of a need for help; doing so would avoid further risk to their lives.