The temporal relationship between mental health service use and stalking perpetration

Abstract

Objective Mental disorder is common among people who stalk. However, the nature of this association is unclear and it is not known whether the commencement of stalking is associated with symptoms of disorder. This study used a longitudinal design to examine the association between the onset and cessation of stalking behavior and indicators of mental disorder in the form of mental health service use. Method Data linkage was used to explore public mental health service use among 157 people who engaged in stalking in Melbourne, Australia. Mental health service use across the lifetime, 5 months prior to stalking onset, between the onset and cessation of stalking (during stalking) and 5 months post-stalking was identified. Mixed regression models tested temporal associations between types of mental health service use (acute vs continuing care) and onset and cessation of stalking in a subsample of 130 participants where dates of the stalking episode were available. Results A total of 105 (67%) participants had lifetime use of public mental health services, while 15% accessed mental health services in the 5 months prior to ( N = 19) or during the stalking ( N = 20) and 22% ( N = 29) used services in the 5 months after the stalking ceased. Odds of using acute mental health services and average monthly rate of use were highest during the stalking. Odds and average monthly rate of using continuing care were highest after the episode ceased. Conclusions Most people who stalk have used p…