Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory — Offender

Abstract

The Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory —Offender (UPBI-O) is a specialized self-report instrument designed for the assessment of behaviors initiated by an individual toward a former partner following the dissolution of a romantic relationship. This measure specifically targets the self-admitted perpetration of acts categorized as unwanted pursuit behavior (UPB), which clinically and legally intersects with definitions of harassment and stalking. Comprising 26 items, the UPBI-O is structurally divided into two critical subscales: Mild Acts (Items 1–13) and Severe Acts (Items 14–26). This dichotomy allows clinicians and researchers to effectively differentiate between lower-level intrusive behaviors and high-risk actions that strongly correlate with potential Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Keywords

Unwanted Pursuit Behavior, Stalking, Intimate Partner Violence (IPV), IPV Perpetration, Post-breakup Harassment, Relationship Dissolution, Psychological Assessment, Offender Self-report, Harassment Severity Index, Post-Separation Violence, Partner Aggression.

Authors

J. Langhinrichsen-Rohling, R.E. Palarea, J. Cohen, M.L. Rohling

Purpose

The primary objective of the UPBI-O is to systematically quantify and categorize the range, type, and frequency of behaviors that an individual reports directing at a former intimate partner immediately following the termination of their relationship. This quantification provides essential data for understanding the natural history and escalation patterns of post-relationship conflict.

Serving as a crucial research tool, the scale helps investigators study the psychological dynamics associated with relationship dissolution, harassment, and the behavioral trajectory that may precede or constitute criminal stalking. By capturing both the incidence and the frequency of contact, the UPBI-O is instrumental in clinical risk assessment and defining patterns of perpetration specific to this context.

Construct

The UPBI-O is fundamentally designed to measure the psychological construct of Unwanted Pursuit Behavior (UPB) as it manifests in the aftermath of a romantic relationship breakdown. UPB is conceptualized as a continuum of repeated, persistent actions directed toward an ex-partner that are unwelcome, intrusive, and often contain implicit or explicit threats.

The instrument operationalizes UPB through two distinct dimensions of severity. The Mild Acts subscale covers lower-level behaviors such as unwanted communication (e.g., phone calls, emails) and passive surveillance (e.g., showing up unexpectedly). Conversely, the Severe Acts subscale encompasses high-risk behaviors including property damage, explicit threats, physical violence, and sexual coercion, which are strong indicators of heightened risk for severe Intimate Partner Violence (IPV).

Validity

While detailed psychometric data, including specific construct and criterion validity coefficients, are primarily housed within the original 2000 academic publication by Langhinrichsen-Rohling and colleagues, the structural integrity of the UPBI-O suggests strong Content Validity. The 26 items were developed to comprehensively cover the spectrum of behaviors identified in clinical and forensic literature concerning post-breakup harassment and stalking.

The scale’s recognized utility is underscored by its inclusion in major governmental resources, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compendium of assessment tools for IPV. This recognition confirms the instrument’s relevance and capacity to measure high-risk unwanted pursuit behavior within a public health and violence prevention framework.

Reliability

Formal reports detailing the scale’s reliability, typically assessed using measures like internal consistency (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) across the total score and subscales, are presented in the foundational research papers establishing the measure. These statistics establish the consistency and stability of the measurement over time.

Due to the UPBI-O’s widespread adoption in academic and clinical research focused on relationship violence and post-separation conflict, it is generally accepted to possess the necessary levels of reliability required for effective academic study and clinical screening. This reliability is particularly vital for ensuring consistent reporting across both the mild and severe dimensions of perpetration.

Factor Analysis

The design of the Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory —Offender inherently implies a robust two-factor underlying structure, which effectively segregates the reported actions based on their level of severity. This structure separates the 26 items explicitly into the Mild Acts subscale (Items 1–13) and the Severe Acts subscale (Items 14–26).

This purposeful division, likely confirmed through initial exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis during validation, serves a crucial clinical function. It allows for the necessary distinction between behaviors that are merely intrusive or non-threatening and those that involve explicit threats, violence, and actions that may constitute criminal offenses, thereby offering a more nuanced profile of risk following relationship dissolution.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Inventory (Perpetrator/Offender Version)

Format: 26 items requiring endorsement (Yes/No/N/A) regarding contact occurrence, frequency (5-point scale: More than daily to Less than monthly), perceived respondent reply, and response valence (Positive/Negative).

Language Available: English (Primary validation)

Population Group: Adults who have recently terminated a romantic relationship.

Age Group: 18 years and older (Adult population)

Population Details: Individuals who are being assessed for behaviors related to harassment, unwanted pursuit behavior, or IPV following a break-up.

Test Methodology: Total scores are computed by summing endorsed items. A more complex Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Severity Index is calculated by including only items reported to have a negative impact on the respondent, weighting them by the frequency reported, and double-weighting the severe acts (items 14–26). Higher scores indicate greater levels of unwanted pursuit behaviors.

Keywords

Stalking Victimization, Pursuit, Harassment Severity Index, Post-Separation Violence, Dating Violence, Partner Aggression, Psychological Measurement, Risk Assessment

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence generally directed to the primary authors at their affiliated institutions at the time of publication (Langhinrichsen-Rohling or Palarea).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The UPBI-O was initially developed in 1998 (Palarea RE, Langhinrichsen-Rohling J. Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory, 1998. Unpublished measure). Given its status as an unpublished research instrument, permission for its use is typically obtained through direct correspondence with the primary authors.

The scale is officially documented and recognized within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) compendium, solidifying its status as a relevant tool in violence prevention research. The original PDF compendium containing the instrument can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/IPV_Compendium.pdf.

Reference’s

• Langhinrichsen-Rohling J, Palarea RE, Cohen J, Rohling ML. Breaking up is hard to do: unwanted pursuit behaviors following the dissolution of a romantic relationship. Violence and Victims 2000;15:73–90.

• Palarea RE, Langhinrichsen-Rohling J. Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory, 1998. Unpublished measure.

• Measuring Intimate Partner Violence Victimization and Perpetration: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/IPV_Compendium.pdf

Items of the Unwanted Pursuit Behavior Inventory —Offender

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Did your ex-partner:

1. leave him/her unwanted phone messages or hang-up calls
2. send/leave you unwanted letters/e-mails/faxes/pages/gifts
3. engage him/her in an unwanted phone conversation
4. talk with him/her unwantedly in an Internet chat room
5. engage him/her in an unwanted conversation in person
6. give him/her unwanted items (e.g.‚ letters/gifts) in person
7. ask friends for information about him/her
8. contact his/her family/friends without his/her permission
9. show up in places where you thought he/she might be
10. go out of your way to run into he/she “unexpectedly”
11. unexpectedly visit him/her at his/her home
12. unexpectedly visit him/her at school/work/some other public place
13. wait outside of his/her home/work/school
14. follow him/her
15. make vague or implied threats to him/her
16. threaten to release information that would be harmful to him/her
17. threaten to harm/kill him/her
18. threaten to harm/kill someone close to him/her or to his/her pet
19. threaten him/her with a weapon
20. release information that was harmful to him/her
21. steal items from him/her
22. cause damage to his/her property (home/car/etc.)
23. cause harm to someone close to him/her or to his/her pet
24. physically injure him/her
25. kidnap him/her or hold him/her against his/her will
26. force him/her to engage in sexual contact after the break-up

If you contacted your ex-partner after the break-up‚ please describe your typical pattern of contacting your ex-partner after the break-up occurred (e.g. I called him/her 10 times a day for two weeks at his/her work and followed him/her home from work every day; I showed up at several parties that I thought my ex-partner might be at and called his/her phone machine to hear his/her voice).

Did the contact occur? Yes‚ No‚ N/A

Frequency of the contact: 1= More than daily‚ 2= Daily‚ 3=Weekly‚ 4=Monthly‚ 5= Less than monthly

Did you reply to the contact? Yes‚ No

Was your response Positive or Negative? P N