Predictors of Courtship Stalking Behaviors in Male College Students

Abstract

This study investigated factors predicting the courtship stalking behavior of male college students. Data were collected from 164 male college students who were described as men who wanted to date women who did not want to date them. Participants were from either a four-year university or a two-year college located in A-city, Korea. Courtship stalking behaviors were measured using Sinclair and Frieze's Courtship Stalking Behaviors Scale. The collected data were analyzed using a χ-test, a Mann-Whitney U-test, and a binomial logistic regression. As male students’ dating frequency decreased, so did courtship stalking behaviors (Exp (B) = .093, p = .001). As male students’ attachment anxiety increased, so did courtship stalking behaviors (Exp (B) = 1.065, p = .046). Moreover, as male students’ experience with physical violence increased, so did courtship stalking behaviors (Exp (B) = 1.339, p = .019). Finally, if male college students have had childhood experience with physical violence and have high attachment anxiety, there is a need for the early detection and management of their relationship with the opposite sex.