Stalking-supportive attitudes and their association with empathy and gender-role attitudes: a study in a Greek-speaking sample

Stalking is increasingly recognized as a severe form of interpersonal violence that threatens victims’ sense of safety and psychological well-being. This study explored how empathy and gender-role attitudes are associated with stalking-supportive attitudes within a Greek-speaking population. A total of 415 Greek-speaking adults participated through convenience and snowball sampling. Data were collected via an online questionnaire that included demographic information, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), the Sex-Role Egalitarianism Scale - Short Form BB (SRES-BB), and the Stalking Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ). The hierarchical regression analysis indicated that older age and greater personal distress were positively associated with stalking-supportive attitudes, whereas fantasy and more egalitarian gender-role attitudes were negatively associated with such attitudes. These findings provide both theoretical and practical insights. They enhance understanding of how specific empathy dimensions and gender-role attitudes are associated with stalking-supportive attitudes and suggest that these factors may represent important factors to consider in future awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and prevention-oriented research in Greece and Cyprus.