Self-Reports of Adverse Health Effects Associated with Cyberstalking and Cyberharassment: A Thematic Analysis of Victims’ Lived Experiences

Despite growing evidence that incidents of cyber-harassment and cyberstalking are growing in scope and severity as the variety of technological platforms increase, researchers have yet to fully examine the differences between cyber-harassment and cyberstalking. Therefore, this study examines if differences exist in victims reports of their physical, emotional, and psychological health following incidents of cyberharassment or cyberstalking. The current study conducted focus group sessions with 49 participants who reported a broad range of unwanted electronic communication experiences. The results reveal minimal differences in the victims’ reports of the types of harms experienced despite the designation of cyberstalking as a criminal activity, as opposed to cyber-harassment, that is not covered by legal statutes. These findings demonstrate that victims of both types of unwanted communication suffer many adverse health effects, but may face difficulty should they choose to seek justice. Adverse Health Effects Associated with Cyberstalking 3 Reports of Adverse Health Effects Associated with Cyberstalking Carlie was finishing her junior year of high school when she met Trevor. He was a classmate and they became fast friends on a social network site. After chatting all night, for many nights, they quickly became a romantic couple. As she would later recall, he was always "kinda jealous" but after she left to go to college, his possessive behavior became "out of control. " His hourly texts ballooned to hundreds, his daily rants on her social media page vacillated between hostility and apology, until she told him that she wanted to end the relationship. According to Carlie, that was when her annoyance became terror. "Before I broke up with him . I couldn't eat, sleep, get my schoolwork done . but, I felt bad 'cuz I knew he missed me. " However, after she terminated their romance, she recalled "he was so mean and scary . he knew where I was all the time, even though my school was in another state, he threatened my mom and my dog, he wished my brother would get hit by a bus. " In addition to her psychological torment, Carlie explained "my hair was falling out, I lost 20 pounds, I developed endometriosis . I was falling apart and had become as crazy as he was. " In addition to Trevor's social media posts, her "friends" also would comment on his messages. According to Carlie, the posts almost always were negative remarks about her looks and her personality. "They said I was losing too much weight . I looked like I had cancer . it was payback for all the bitchy things I said about others. " Carlie's experience with Trevor and others represent two newer forms of interpersonal terrorism known as cyberharassment and cyberstalking. Cyberharassment and cyberstalking are similar, yet distinct constructs. Although there is a federal statute that addresses cyberstalking, not all states have laws to cover incidents of Adverse Health Effects Associated with Cyberstalking 4 cyberharassment (for a review of state laws, see Fox, Nobles, & Fisher, 2011). Cyberstalking is a criminal action characterized by the repetitive use electronic devices to stalk that requires a pattern of threatening or malicious behaviors and involves a credible threat (NCLS, 2013; US Attorney General Report, 1999). Thus, to be in violation of Federal cyberstalking laws, the aggressor must make repeated, specific, intentional, and fear-producing threats that leads one to believe an illegal act or an injury will be inflicted on the recipient, his/her family or household. On the other hand, “cyberharassment differs from cyberstalking in that it may generally be defined as not involving a credible threat. Cyberharassment usually pertains to threatening or harassing email messages, instant messages, or to blog entries or websites dedicated solely to tormenting an individual. Some states approach cyberharrassment by including language addressing electronic communications in general harassment statutes, while others have created stand-alone cyberharassment statutes. (NCLS, 2013). Cyberharassment is not illegal, yet many victims may experience irritation, annoyance, and frustration due to the frequency and/or subject matter of the aggressor's messages. Statistics show the crime of stalking (both non-cyber, also known as traditional stalking, and cyberstalking) is on the rise. According to the 2006 Supplemental Victimization Survey (SVS), estimated 5.3 million Americans reported they had been stalked within the 12-month period prior to administration of the survey (Baum, Catalano, & Rand, 2009). Within this population, 66.7% of respondents had received unwanted phone calls/messages and 30.7% had been sent unwanted email/letters. Only 4 years later, in 2010, researchers for the U.S. Center for Disease Control found an estimated 7.1 million had been stalked within the previous 12-months. 78.8% reported unwanted phone calls/messages and 30.7% received unwanted email/letters (Black et al, 2010). Taken as a whole, these national surveys demonstrate a frightening trend. Adverse Health Effects Associated with Cyberstalking 5 These statistics represent the total numbers of individuals who indicated they had experienced fear as a result of enacted, repetitive threats, whether face-to-face or through electronic means. Despite the stark difference in statistics, the data reveal even greater gains if the numbers of victims of traditional harassment and cyberharassment are included. Despite the large number of victims, cyberharassment behaviors have been viewed by the general public, law enforcement, as well as legal and medical professionals as less harmful (Alexy, Burgess, Baker, & Smoyak, 2005). One reason for this assumption may be due to the lack of literature that examines cyberharassment. Although research has demonstrated the grave health risks associated with the cyberstalking experience (Bocij & McFarlane, 2003, Kennedy, 2000; Lamberg, 2002; Mechanic, Uhlmansiek, Weaver, & Resick, 2000; Ybarra & Mitchell, 2004), very little is known about the health effects of cyberharassment. In an effort to explore if the annoyance, irritation, and frustration that may accompany persistent, unwanted cyberharassment may also be associated with negative health outcomes, this study will examine the narratives of cyberstalking and cyberharassment victims. Specifically, this investigation will focus on how these victims describe their: (a) emotional health (b) psychological health (c) physical health.