Vol 15 No 20
Sam Houston State University - A Member of the Text State University System
Dr. Matt Nobles is studying the similarities and differences between stalking and cyberstalking on victims.
Victims of cyberstalking take more self-protective measures, pay higher out-of-pocket costs to combat the problem and experience greater fear over time than traditional stalking victims, said Dr. Matt Nobles of Sam Houston State University.
“We wanted to investigate where there are similarities and differences between stalking and cyberstalking, and there is a lot of work that still has to be done on that issue,” said Dr. Nobles, an Assistant Professor at SHSU’s College of Criminal Justice. “But independent of the conceptual discussion, the evidence shows that cyberstalking is tremendously disruptive to the lives of the victims. The financial cost of cyberstalking is also very serious.”
Dr. Nobles, along with Drs. Bradford Reyns of Weber State University, Kathleen Fox of Arizona State University and Bonnie Fisher of the University of Cincinnati, recently published a study in Justice Quarterly comparing the similarities and differences in experiences reported by victims of stalking and cyberstalking. While a precise definition of cyberstalking is elusive, one common definition is repeated harassment or threats facilitated by technology, including electronic communication using the Internet, email and social media.
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