Investigating Cyber Victimization Patterns in Female College Students

Abstract

This study delves into the experiences of cybercrime among female students, aiming to understand the multifaceted factors contributing to their susceptibility to online threats by investigating sociodemographic characteristics, online behaviour, personality traits, and self-control. The study illustrated that cybercrime victims exhibit more frequent social media browsing, increased viewership of explicit pornographic content websites, a higher usage public Wi-Fi without security measures, and higher digital misconduct in comparison to non-victims. Through Latent Class Analysis (LCA), Class 2 participants emerge as distinct, characterized by extensive social media activity, frequent use of unsecured public Wi-Fi, involvement in unauthorized media distribution, attempted account access through password guessing, file tampering, and a high frequency of cybervictimization. These findings underscore the intricate nature of cybercrime vulnerability and emphasize the imperative for targeted interventions and preventive measures prioritizing education and awareness campaigns, implementation of digital literacy programs.