Early Trauma, Social Interactions, & Individual Characteristics as Risks for College Women's Stalking Victimization

• In Event: The Victimization of Young Adults on University/College Campuses

Abstract

Despite existing research on stalking among college students, there is a lack of work simultaneously examining two forms of stalking victimization that incorporates several risk factors across domains. This study’s goal is to explore early trauma (e.g., childhood physical abuse), social interactions (e.g., abusive male friends), and individual characteristics (e.g., psychological distress) as risks for both non-electronic and technology-facilitated stalking victimization among college women. Data comes from 811 women attending a large university in the South. Utilizing Mplus, a single regression model was run including both outcome variables to account for possible covariance between stalking types. Technology-facilitated stalking was related to attendance at fraternity events, hook-up frequency, abusive male friends, and prior dating and sexual violence victimization. On the other hand, non-technology facilitated stalking was related to physically abusive parenting experienced in childhood, childhood sexual abuse, prior dating violence, and abusive male friends. Results indicated that technology-facilitated stalking may be more closely related to social interactions that increase exposure to potential perpetrators than non-technology-facilitating victimization. On the other hand, non-technology-facilitated stalking was mainly related to prior abuse victimization. Interestingly, women who had more abusive male friends were at risk for both forms of stalking.

Author

• Tara E. Sutton, Mississippi State University