An Exploratory Investigation of Traditional Stalking and Cyberstalking Victimization among University Students in Spain and the United States: A Comparative Analysis

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Victòria Fernández-Cruz
UIC Barcelona
José R. Agustina
Universitat Abat Oliba CEU
Fawn T. Ngo
University of South Florida

Traditional stalking and cyberstalking have become a significant legal and social issue in today's society. Although a sizeable body of research on stalking victimization and perpetration currently exists, very little is known about cyberstalking victimization. Relatedly, there is a dearth of comparative research on the topics of traditional stalking and cyberstalking. Examining the prevalence and nature of stalking victimization across national settings will allow for an exploration of the significance of social context in affecting victims’ experiences as well as help highlight the competing influences operating in different contexts. Cross-national research on stalking will also provide an opportunity to consider a wide range of alternative options and solutions to the problem. The aim of this study is to compare and contrast the prevalence and nature of traditional stalking and cyberstalking victimization between American and Spanish university students. This study focuses on university students because there is evidence that they have a higher risk of becoming victims of stalking relative to the general population. Moreover, the comparative analysis undertaking in this study involves a country that has criminalized stalking for almost three decades (the United States) and a country that has just recently enacted an anti-stalking statute (Spain). Such analysis is warranted as it will allow the researchers to engage in critical analyses of current anti-stalking statutes and advocate for innovative, sensible, and effective solutions in addressing the crime of stalking. In addition to presenting the results, the policy implications derived from the study will also be discussed.

Keywords
stalking, cyberstalking, cross-national research, university students

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Fernández-Cruz, Victòria et al. “An Exploratory Investigation of Traditional Stalking and Cyberstalking Victimization among University Students in Spain and the United States: A Comparative Analysis”. IDP. Internet, Law and Politics E-Journal, no. 32, doi:10.7238/idp.v0i32.373814.
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(c) Victòria Fernández-Cruz, José R. Agustina, Fawn T. Ngo, 2021


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Author Biographies

Victòria Fernández-Cruz, UIC Barcelona

Victoria Fernández-Cruz is a predoctoral scholar at UIC Barcelona and a counsellor at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC). Her research interests focus on criminological theories, forensic psychopathology and victimization. She is currently developing a doctoral thesis on the phenomenon of stalking and cyberstalking, analyzing the prevalence, attitudes and processes of perpetration and victimization in these types of behaviors.

José R. Agustina, Universitat Abat Oliba CEU

José R. Agustina is a Full Professor of Criminal Law at Universitat Abat Oliba CEU. Author of more than 50 articles in indexed journals and four monographs. He currently directs the Actualidad Criminológica y Penal Collection at BdeF-Edisofer. His research interest focuses on cybercrime against people (sexting, stalking and grooming) and cybervictimization in minors; crimes in the workplace, crime prevention strategies and compliance; sexual and privacy crimes; theory of crime and criminological theories.

Fawn T. Ngo, University of South Florida

Fawn T. is an Associate Professor of Criminology at the University of South Florida. Her research interests include criminological theory, interpersonal violence, cybercrime, and predictive analytic applications in criminology and criminal justice. Her work has appeared in Justice Quarterly, Crime and Delinquency, Journal of Criminal Justice, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, and Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management.

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