Work

Cultural Distress and Help-Seeking in Gangstalking Narratives

Year: 2026

Type: preprint

Abstract: This study examines online narratives describing experiences of gangstalking. Publicly available posts from the Reddit community (subreddit) r/Gangstalking are analyzed to explore how individuals articulate distress, construct help-seeking and help-avoidance, evaluate the legitimacy of different sources of support, and express suffering without diagnostic or clinical framing. Using a fixed coding framework informed by cultural psychiatry and mental health literacy research, the study also identifies narrative features that may create entry points for supportive, non-confrontational intervention. The analysis aims to improve understanding of how distress and help-seeking are negotiated within these narratives, without adjudicating the factual accuracy of the experiences described.

DOI: 10.17605/osf.io/aqd86

Authors: Palamwar, Maitreya Milind, Tendulkar, Trisha T.

Language: English

Topic: Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

OpenAlex ID: W7124598087

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