Stalking in the Spanish universities

Abstract

Introduction. Stalking has not been studied in the university community of Spain, using a representative and stratified sample. Aims. To assess the prevalence of stalking, the characteristics of the victims and the stalkers, and the damages inflicted on victims in the university community of Andalusia (UCA), the southern region of Spain. Methods. A validated questionnaire on stalking prevalence and charactersitics was e-mailed to a representative sample of the UCA (15,000 persons/questionnaires), stratified by center, age, sex and duties (students, professors and researchers, and other staff employees). The survey was carried out during the first semester of 2021. Results. The UCA represents the 18% of the Spanish university comunnity. 11,778 members of the UCA fulfilled the questionnaire (78,5%), mostly young students, median age 21,6 +/ - 1.5 years. A 6.6% prevalence of stalking (778 persons) was observed, mostly among persons between 18 and 25 years (27.5%), and women (42.5%). Women were mainly stalked by men (84.7%), acting alone (62%), using anonymous telematic resources (cellular telephone, WhatsApps, short messages, E-mail, ...) (16%). Conclusions. Stalking is highly prevalent in the spanish university community, particularly among young women. The stalker is mostly a man, acting alone, and using anonymous telematic resources.