Help, I need somebody: Examining the antecedents of social support seeking among cybercrime victims

Abstract

An important portion of internet users have faced cybercrime in recent years. One successful strategy for dealing with cybercrime victimization is to seek social support. However, previous studies showed that only a limited number of victims reaches out to family or friends to ask for help after a cybercrime incident. The current study sought to gain a better understanding of victims’ social support seeking by exploring its antecedents. Specifically, the study took into account the role of (1) perception (i.e., perceived severity and perceived control), (2) primary responses (i.e., self-blame and denial), and (3) social capital (i.e., available [trusted] connections). Moreover, we explored the link between fear of cybercrime and these antecedents. Data collected from 334 cybercrime victims were analyzed using structural equation modeling. The findings indicated that victims with high perceived control and who ignore the incident, are less inclined to ask for help. Surprisingly, victims with high levels of self-blame are more likely to seek support. Moreover, we found that fear of crime is significantly related with perception and self-blame. Future awareness campaigns should stress that support seeking is part of the solution and should avoid placing the responsibility of victimization completely on the victim.