The Psychological and Financial Impact of Cybercrime Victimization: A Novel Application of the Shattered Assumptions Theory

Cybercrime victimization includes financially motivated offences such as scams and payment fraud, and technology facilitated interpersonal offences such as harassment, stalking, and image based abuse. While cybercrime is often framed in terms of monetary loss and technical prevention, the evidence shows that victim impacts are multi domain and can persist well beyond the incident. This review brings together evidence on the psychological, social, economic, and justice related impacts of cybercrime, and it looks closely at how people try to report and get help, and what happens when they interact with police, banks, platforms, and telecom systems. We conducted a structured narrative scoping review of studies and key reports published between 2010 and 2025. We searched major multidisciplinary databases and selected grey literature sources for work that examined cybercrime victim impacts, coping and recovery, and experiences with reporting and response processes. Findings were synthesized using thematic synthesis and narrative integration to identify cross cutting patterns across offence types and contexts. Across the evidence, victims commonly report distress, fear, shame, anger, and a strong sense of losing control. Many also experience social harms such as stigma, withdrawal, relationship strain, and reputational anxiety, especially when the offence involves coercion, humiliation, or the risk of public exposure. The economic impact goes beyond the immediate loss and often includes time spent chasing solutions, administrative burden, disrupted routines, and prolonged vigilance, even when money is later recovered. Reporting and help seeking rarely look like a single decision. Instead, they unfold as a pathway shaped by embarrassment, fear of being blamed, uncertainty about outcomes, and the effort required to navigate multiple agencies. When responsibilities are fragmented and communication is poor, victims can feel re harmed by the process itself, which damages institutional trust and discourages future reporting. Building on these findings, the review proposes an integrative victim impact framework that links offence mechanics, offender victim interaction, uncertainty, and system response quality to multi domain harms and long tail outcomes. Practice recommendations prioritise time bound fraud containment, coordinated case journeys across systems, procedural justice communication standards, trauma informed support pathways, and monitoring indicators for speed, victim experience, outcomes, and equity. India focused priorities include strengthening the functional integration of 1930 and the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal, improving coordination with banks and intermediaries, and expanding frontline capacity for triage, evidence preservation, and supportive communication.

Reaching an equilibrium between timber production and biodiversity conservation is one of the aims increasingly pursued in forest plantations, since biodiversity favors plantation stability while contributing to the maintenance of native community structure and functions. This equilibrium is relevant for the Patagonian steppe, which has great diversity but low representation in protected areas. Residual slash management following pruning and thinning is necessary since the traditional practice of leaving slash on the floor may limit vegetation development and increase wildfire hazard. We assessed initial vegetation response to fuel reduction treatments in five exotic conifer plantations in the Patagonian forest-steppe ecotone. We implemented mastication, prescribed fire, and mastication plus prescribed fire fuel reduction treatments, and compared initial vegetation richness, abundance, and composition among treatments and with that of an untreated control, having residues on the forest floor. After three years, we compared vegetation among fuel treatments and with the adjacent steppe at each site. We also compared residue cover among fuel treatments. Vegetation richness reached similar values in most fuel treatments a year after their implementation, whereas abundance gradually increased in all fuel reduction treatments; in general, the greatest abundance increase was in mastication. After three years, richness reached steppe values in most treatments (about 9 species/4 m2), whereas abundance did not (about 40 % cover in the steppe and 5-25 % in fuel treatments), and species composition similarity was low among treatments and steppe in all sites (Bray-Curtis index 0.1-0.6). Plant community composition was positively correlated with annual precipitation and initial residual biomass. In sites with less precipitation and initial residual biomass, native species predominated, and mastication had the lowest negative impact on initial vegetation recovery, whereas in sites with high proportion of exotic, vegetation recovery was led by exotics in all fuel reduction treatments; in a site having scarce vegetation within plantation, we did not detect any substantial change. Woody residues only decreased when their initial cover was greater than 20 %, and litter debris cover reloaded by the second year after fuel reduction. Our results suggest that mastication had the lowest negative short-term impact on native vegetation.

Financial, resource, and psychological impacts of COVID-19 on U.S. College students: Who is impacted and what are the implications for adjustment and well-being?

Mentally ill person needs caretakers during hospitalization for severe conditions, continuing care, and rehabilitation. Caretakers experience mental illness when providing care for their mentally ill patients in Nepal. About 24.5% of caretakers had anxiety and 19.6% had depression. The financial, social, and psychological health of caregivers may all impact. The objective was to examine the psychological, financial and social impact on caregivers. A descriptive study was conducted on 207 caregivers’ of mentally ill patients at mental hospital, Nepal. Purposive sampling technique was used. Semi-structured questionnaires were developed to assess psychological and financial impacts and Likert scale questions were included to assess social impact. Information was gathered using a structured face-to-face interview. Impacts on caregivers’ psychological, economic and social were associated to their sociodemographic characteristics. Education, religion, and the patient's length of mental illness were all associated with psychological impact (χ2=54.37; df=5; p= <0.001). Education and the duration of their mental illness are also related to the financial impact (χ2=31.95; df=7; p= <0.001). The social impact experienced by caregivers is similarly associated with education, occupation, and the length of mental illness (χ2=61.03; df=5; p= <0.001). The association between caregivers' sociodemographic factors and the psychological, financial, and social impacts on them was observed. This justifies encouraging caregivers to be a part of the support group in order to increase the information and emotional support they get from other caregivers who have similar experiences. Keywords: Impact, psychological, financial, social, mentally ill patient, caregiver

Introduction Infertility is a public health issue with socioeconomic and demographic impact. Understanding the psychological, sexual, and financial repercussions on couples is crucial for comprehensive treatment. Objective Infertility can evoke complex emotions and disrupt the couple's sexual relationship. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological, sexual, and financial aspects of this condition on infertile couples. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 50 couples undergoing infertility treatment at a military hospital. Data, including medical records, questionnaires, and follow-up information, were collected. Results 1. Psychological Impact: Infertility represents a failure of the parental project, leading to negative emotions. Women are more likely to report the psychological impact and seek help. Family pressure and potential divorce due to societal expectations were observed. 2. Sexual Impact: Infertility can significantly affect sexual life, causing decreased satisfaction, stress, and anxiety. Communication and emotional intimacy may suffer. Contrary to literature, men reported more sexual disorders due to socio-cultural factors and female partners' discomfort discussing sexuality. 3. Financial Impact: Infertility treatments incur substantial costs, adding to emotional and physical burdens. Financial implications vary by country, and lack of national funding policies lead to debt or abandonment of conception plans. In the study, half of the couples spent over $1000. Conclusions Infertility has a significant psychological, sexual, and financial impact on couples. A comprehensive approach involving healthcare practitioners and policymakers is necessary for significant improvement in the well-being of infertile couples. Disclosure No.

Introduction Infertility is a public health issue with socioeconomic and demographic impact. Understanding the psychological, sexual, and financial repercussions on couples is crucial for comprehensive treatment. Objective Infertility can evoke complex emotions and disrupt the couple's sexual relationship. The aim of this study is to examine the psychological, sexual, and financial aspects of this condition on infertile couples. Methods A retrospective study was conducted on 50 couples undergoing infertility treatment at a military hospital. Data, including medical records, questionnaires, and follow-up information, were collected. Results 1. Psychological Impact: Infertility represents a failure of the parental project, leading to negative emotions. Women are more likely to report the psychological impact and seek help. Family pressure and potential divorce due to societal expectations were observed. 2. Sexual Impact: Infertility can significantly affect sexual life, causing decreased satisfaction, stress, and anxiety. Communication and emotional intimacy may suffer. Contrary to literature, men reported more sexual disorders due to socio-cultural factors and female partners' discomfort discussing sexuality. 3. Financial Impact: Infertility treatments incur substantial costs, adding to emotional and physical burdens. Financial implications vary by country, and lack of national funding policies lead to debt or abandonment of conception plans. In the study, half of the couples spent over $1000. Conclusions Infertility has a significant psychological, sexual, and financial impact on couples. A comprehensive approach involving healthcare practitioners and policymakers is necessary for significant improvement in the well-being of infertile couples. Disclosure No.

This study examines the psychological impact of cybercrime victimization through the theoretical concepts of the democratization of victimization, coping, and cyborg theory. Using survey data from 2,415 Dutch cybercrime victims it explores how personal and circumstantial factors influence victims’ emotional well-being and sense of security. The findings indicate that older victims experience a greater impact on their sense of security, while emotional well-being is more adversely affected in victims who live alone, women, religious victims, and those with lower socioeconomic status. Additionally, specific crime-related factors, namely device hacking and crime duration, are associated with higher impact on both emotional well-being and sense of security. Beyond its academic and theoretical contributions, this study provides valuable insights for developing targeted prevention and support measures for cybercrime victims.

Achieving a long-lasting impact on health outcomes requires focus not just on patient care, but also on community approaches aimed at improving population health through addressing gaps in Social Determinants of Health (SDOH). SDOH have been found to disproportionately affect those in low-income brackets and the disabled to varying degrees based on locale. The purpose of this exploratory research was to determine 1) which SDOH have the greatest negative impact on disabled and elderly populations within four targeted states (Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, Wisconsin) and 2) if there is a difference in negative SDOH impact between metro and non-metro locales. Individual-level data were obtained from disabled persons aged 65 years or older who responded to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. Utilizing these data, frequency distributions were obtained using SPSS. Rank order variation in SDOH was observed among four Midwestern states and between metro vs. non-metro geographic regions. Frequency distributions assisted in identifying the greatest negative impacting SDOH on elderly disabled populations. An examination of the rank order tables allowed the investigator to accurately assess the rank of negative impacts. There were variabilities in responses to questions with moving two or more times within 12 months having the lowest negative impact. When regrouped based upon SDOH negative impacts, were you able to pay your bills was the most frequent SDOH across all states. Feeling unsafe or extremely unsafe in your neighborhood was the highest negatively impacted SDOH within states. Cited determinants in three categories were highest in Ohio. Ohio also had the highest proportion of negatively impacted SDOH across all states. No money for balanced meals was a close second SDOH across states. Key messages Social Determinants Impacting Elderly Disabled. Impact of Social Determinants by Geography.

As cybercrime victimization rates continue to rise, our understanding of their impact, especially compared to traditional crime, remains limited. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted surveys among 910 crime victims, measuring the impact of cyber and traditional variants of property, person-centered, and sexual crime. We compared the impact of: (1) residential burglary and hacking of online bank accounts; (2) doorstep deception and bank helpdesk fraud; (3) in-person threats and online threats; and (4) sexual assault and image-based sexual abuse. Impact was categorized into peritraumatic stress, internalizing problems, externalizing problems, financial impact, and damaged self-image. Our findings reveal that cybercrime impact mostly equals or exceeds that of traditional crimes. Disparities especially emerge in terms of higher peritraumatic stress experienced by victims of cyber property crime, and more damage to self-image suffered by victims of both cyber property and cyber sexual crimes. Furthermore, we identified significant determinants of victim impact among crime characteristics, and social, personal, and demographic factors, some varying between cyber and traditional crime. Our study emphasizes the implications of the technological nature of cybercrime and the relatively active role played by cybercrime victims, while also considering the issue of victim blaming. Furthermore, we underscore the need for targeted victim support and prioritization of cybercrime.

Doing justice to the needs of cybercrime victims: reflections on the role of the police Rising cybercrime rates present challenges for the police, often resulting in limited investment in cybercrime cases. These challenges can extend to the relationship with reporting victims. Also, the characteristics of cybercrime, such as anonymity and technical complexity, could lead to distinct victim needs. This study examines the needs and reporting experiences of cybercrime compared to traditional crime victims. We focused on financial (bank account hacking; bank helpdesk fraud) and person-centered (online threat; image-based sexual abuse); and financial (home burglary; doorstep deception) cybercrime, and person-centered (threat; sexual assault) traditional crime.In our survey study, we analysed the responses of 910 reporting victims. Our findings show that cyber-financial crime victims express stronger practical/information needs, namely where to turn for help, information about the crime, financial compensation and prevention advice. They also express greater emotional/social needs, namely for recognition of the crime and prevention for others. Conversely, victims of traditional person-centered crimes express stronger emotional/social needs for recognition of the crime, being taken seriously, sharing feelings and prevention for others. Reporting experiences were similar among cyber and traditional financial crime victims. However, receiving information about the crime and prevention advice were rated higher among person-centered traditional crime compared to cybercrime victims, and they less strongly reported increasing impact because of the police response.The study confirms that victims of both cyber and traditional crimes have needs across all categories. Furthermore, we have identified factors such as peritraumatic stress, age, gender, and financial loss that influence these needs. We discuss the implications for law enforcement, emphasizing the necessity of addressing victim needs comprehensively, particularly in financial cybercrime cases where victims express stronger needs but generally receive less practical and emotional support. Additionally, we stress the importance of procedural justice and responsiveness to victim needs in maintaining police legitimacy.

An increasing number of Internet users are dealing with cybercrime victimization. In order to find out whether victims adequately recover from cybercrime incidents, it is important to gain insight into its effects and impact on users. However, as it stands now, there is not much literature on the impact of cybercrime. We address this gap by qualitatively examining the impact of two types of cybercrime, namely phishing and malware attacks targeting online banking customers. We used the coping approach as a framework to study how victims deal with the negative events they have experienced. In order to study the impact of cybercrime and how victims cope with it, 30 cybercrime victims were interviewed. We observed that, next to financial damage, victims described different forms of psychological and emotional effects. Victims also reported various kinds of secondary impacts, such as time loss and not being treated properly when handling the incident. In addition, the interview data provided insight into cognitive and behavioral change, which potentially offers opportunities for cybercrime prevention. Our study demonstrates that the level of impact varies among cybercrime victims, ranging from little or no impact to severe impact. In addition, while some victims were only affected for a few days, some were still feeling the effects. The effects and impact of these fraudulent schemes on victims should therefore not be underestimated. We conclude that the coping approach provides a useful framework to study the effects and impact of cybercrime victimization and how victims recover from it. The results of our study provide a steppingstone for future studies on this topic.

ABSTRACTObjectives(1) Describe and categorize the scores obtained by the study sample for the PIGAQ as a whole and each of its subscales; (2) compare the psychosocial impact of self‐perceived gingival aesthetics shown by the results for each subscale, determining which subscale shows the greatest impact, in relation to each of the following variables: gender, age, educational level, and involvement with the dentistry profession (non‐professionals/professionals).MethodsThis observational and cross‐sectional study is based on in‐person interviews conducted by 10 trained operators, who administered the PIGAQ and collected data on gender, age, educational level, and connections to the dental profession in an adult (18–85 years) Spanish population. The data were collected over a 6‐month period in 2024 in several regions of Spain. The main research outcome was the PIGAQ questionnaire (Likert scale) comprising 20 items in four subscales: gingival self‐confidence (GSC), social impact (SI), psychological impact (PI), and aesthetic concern (AC), with a total score of 0–80 points. Data were analyzed using SPSS (v.28).ResultsIn the sample, the subscale where self‐perceived gingival aesthetics showed the highest negative impact was GSC, whereas the lowest negative impact was recorded for the SI subscale (with 36.5% and 1.0% of participants' scores representing a large negative impact, respectively). Significant psychosocial engagement with their gingival aesthetics was recorded for 5% of the study population (41–80). Total PIGAQ scores were significantly (p < 0.05) higher (a greater negative psychosocial impact) in participants who were male (21.23), aged 60 or over (23.83), not involved with the dental profession (19.90) and had only completed compulsory education (25.08). A significantly higher negative impact (p < 0.05) was recorded for participants aged 60 or over in the GSC (13.13), PI (4.88), and AC (2.96) subscales than for other age groups.ConclusionsThe negative psychosocial impact of self‐perceived gingival aesthetics is low, with the highest impact recorded for the GSC subscale, and lower impacts experienced by participants who were female, aged under 26, had university‐level education, and were involved with the dental profession.Clinical SignificanceData are lacking on the psychological and social impacts suffered by patients who are dissatisfied with their gingival aesthetics, and how these impacts relate to sociodemographic variables. To date, no research has been published addressing this issue in the Spanish population. Only 5% of the population gained high scores on the PIGAQ, with most negative impacts related to self‐confidence in their gingival aesthetics. The variable that most negatively affected PIGAQ scores was age, although this effect was limited. Particular attention should be paid to male patients over 60 years with compulsory‐level education only, as this group has a greater tendency to present with psychosocial distress caused by a negative self‐assessment of gingival aesthetics.

The prevalence of cybercrime has increased rapidly over the last decades and has become part of the everyday life of citizens. It is, therefore, of great importance to gain more knowledge on the factors related to an increased or decreased likelihood of becoming a cybercrime victim. The current study adds to the existing body of knowledge using a large representative sample of Dutch individuals (N = 3,648) to study the relationship between cybercrime victimization and the key traits from the Big Five model of personality (i.e., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability, and openness to experience). First, multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the associations between the personality traits and three victim groups, that is, cybercrime victims versus nonvictims, traditional crime victims versus nonvictims, and cybercrime victims versus traditional crime victims. Next, logistic regression analyses were performed to predict victimization of cyber-dependent crimes (i.e., hacking and virus infection) and cyber-enabled crimes (i.e., online intimidation, online consumer fraud, and theft from bank account). The analyses show that personality traits are not specifically associated with cybercrime victimization, but rather with victimization in general. Only those with higher scores on emotional stability were less likely to become a victim of cybercrime than traditional crime. Furthermore, the results indicate that there are little differences between personality traits related to victimization of cyber-enabled and cyber-dependent crimes. Only individuals with higher scores on openness to experience have higher odds of becoming a victim of cyber-enabled crimes.

Introduction: In the COVID-19 pandemic, the implementation of the lockdown led to the closure of dental practices. Restricting treatment to emergency patients, having to use Personal Protective Equipment and the fear of contracting the virus led to modifications in the techniques and methods used to provide efficient dental care to the patients. However, it caused a significant psychological and financial impact on the dental community. The purpose of this research was to evaluate dentists’ perceptions regarding the psychological, financial, and general impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the reopening of their dental practices. Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was conducted using a validated questionnaire, which was distributed among 257 dental practitioners working in Karachi through the social media app (WhatsApp®) from May 2021 to May 2022. The questionnaire included four sections and 26 items, recording data for demographics, psychological effects on resumption of dental practices, workplace disinfection, and precautionary measures along financial impacts. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 21.0. p-value ≤ 0.05 was taken as statistically significant Results: A total of 200 filled questionnaires were received, making the response rate 77%. The majority of respondents were females (67%). More than half of the respondents (55.5%) were working in dental OPDs. Most participants affirmed that they did not have a COVID-19 screening area nor patient triage was being done in dental OPDs. Closure of dental practices caused financial problems for all dental practitioners, more specifically for those that were associated with both public and private types of practices (84.9%). The majority of the dentists in private practice (94.4%) declared that their workplaces were being disinfected, while 47.7% of dental practitioners working in the dental OPD affirmed that they had enough financial stability to keep using Personal Protective Equipment. Approximately 64.9% of professionals practicing in dental OPDs and 33.3% in private practice believed that the reopening of dental practices was responsible for the re-spread of the coronavirus Conclusion: Significant anxiety and stress related to COVID-19 were seen among dental practitioners. Some CDC-recommended guidelines such as the use of Personal Protective Equipment were being implemented whereas COVID-19 screening and patient triage were found deficient.

There is a strong sense of negativity attached to victims of financial fraud. Despite the media are filled with their stories, the comprehension of the real victimisation experiences are not that evident. Victims of financial fraud are often viewed as individuals who lost only their money. Along with that they are considered as greedy and a sense of blame is thrown at them. Therefore a study beyond the financial loss was warranted. The aim of this paper is to examine the impacts of fraud victimisation other than financial impact. As the first objective, the theoretical background, including victim blaming theory, just world theory, were analysed. Secondly the emotional and psychological impacts, reporting experiences and seeking formal help were examined in relation with the responses of the victims. Based on interviews with 30 victims of fraud which consisted of victims of swindling, embezzlement, credit card fraud and Ponzi scheme, this paper establishes the profound emotional and psychological impact post victimisation. The paper also examined victim blaming, relationship breakdown, vulnerability of older people and in the worst case suicide.&nbsp