Assessing the Overlap between Cyberstalking Victimization and Face-to-face Sexual Victimization among South Korean Middle and High School Students

Abstract

ABSTRACT While there is a growing empirical literature on victimization in the virtual world, limited scholarship has examined the potentially overlapping relationship between cyberstalking victimization and face-to-face sexual victimization. The current study uses data from a sample of 7,109 middle and high school students in South Korea to investigate the extent to which the overlap exists between cyberstalking victimization and face-to-face sexual victimization. Additionally, we examine whether the two forms of victimization are the outcome of the same underlying mechanisms. The results from bivariate probit models show a significant degree of overlap between cyberstalking victimization and face-to-face sexual victimization. Being a female, a high level of parental strain, and a high level of school disorder are significantly associated with the joint occurrence of the two forms of victimization. Our findings highlight the importance of crime prevention policies that focus on familial and school factors.