Stalking Victimization Among College Students: The Role of Disability Within a Lifestyle-Routine Activity Framework

• In Event: Examining the Impact of Disability on Victimization and Offending

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between disability and stalking victimization among college students, framed within a lifestyle-routine activity theoretical framework. To do so, self-report survey data from the American College Health Association’s National College Health Assessment were analyzed. These data provided an analytic sample of 43,000 college students from throughout the United States. The results reinforce findings from prior research that stalking is prevalent amongst college student populations. Further, students with disabilities – regardless of disability type – were stalked at higher rates than students without disabilities, and disability acted as a significant risk factor for stalking victimization. Measures of lifestyle and routine activity behaviors likewise differentiated victims from non-victims. Overall, the results of the present work suggest that disability is a salient factor in the dynamics of stalking victimization and should be taken into consideration within victimology theory and prevention efforts by colleges and universities.

Authors

• Brad Reyns, Weber State University

• Heidi L. Scherer, Kennesaw State University