Parent-child intimacy and relationship control as predictors of courtship-stalking behaviors in university students

This study aimed to identify factors preventing courtship-stalking behavior among college students by considering such factors as parent-child intimacy, empathy, and relationship control. Questionnaires assessing parent-child intimacy, empathy, and relationship control were completed by 197 Korean university students. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. Differences in the participants general characteristics between the two groups divided by CSB were verified using χ² tests. The differences between the two groups in parent-child intimacy, empathy, and relationship control were verified using t-tests. Binomial logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the protective factors against participants' CSB. The CSB potential was lower for women (AOR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.40-6.32, p=.005) and for first- and second-year students (AOR: .37, 95% CI: T8-.75, p=.006). The higher the father-child intimacy score, the lower the CSB potential (AOR: .94, 95% CI: .89-.99, p=.012). The higher the participants intimacy score, the lower the CSB potential (AOR: .89, 95% CI: .82-.97, p=.010). Female gender, lower school year, higher father-child intimacy, and higher relationship control were indicated as protective factors against CSB. Based on these results, intervention programs enhancing these protective factors should be developed and their effectiveness should be investigated.