Examining the effects of rejection sensitivity, personality beliefs and close relationship experiences on cyberstalking tendencies in university students

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between persistent cyberstalking behavior, attachment styles, and personality beliefs. The study was conducted with a total of 405 university students from various universities from various universities across Turkey. Participants' ages ranged from 18 to 41, with a mean age of 21.18 (SD = 2.84). Among the participants, 78.5% were female (n = 318) and21.5% were male (n = 87). Data collection instruments included the Demographic Information Form, Cyberstalking Scale, Rejection Sensitivity Scale, Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, and the Short Form of the Personality Beliefs Questionnaire. Correlation analyses indicated a positive and significant relationship between anxious attachment style and persistent cyberstalking behavior. Anxious attachment was also significantly associated with rejection sensitivity. Positive correlations ranging from low to moderate were observed between personality belief subscales and persistent cyberstalking behavior. Stepwise regression analysis revealed that anxious attachment was the strongest predictor of persistent cyberstalking behavior. Other significant predictors included antisocial personality beliefs and gender, with male participants scoring lower on cyberstalking behavior than female participants. These findings suggest that anxious attachment style and certain personality beliefs may be important factors in understveing persistent cyberstalking behavior. The study contributes to a more comprehensive understveing of persistent cyberstalking, a concept that remains relatively underexplored in the literature.