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Perceived Criminality of Cyber-Harassing Behaviors among Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom

Perceived Criminality of Cyber-Harassing Behaviors among Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom

Catherine Millman, Monica Whitty, Belinda Winder, Mark D. Griffiths
Copyright: © 2012 |Volume: 2 |Issue: 4 |Pages: 11
ISSN: 2155-7136|EISSN: 2155-7144|EISBN13: 9781466611429|DOI: 10.4018/ijcbpl.2012100104
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MLA

Millman, Catherine, et al. "Perceived Criminality of Cyber-Harassing Behaviors among Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom." IJCBPL vol.2, no.4 2012: pp.49-59. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijcbpl.2012100104

APA

Millman, C., Whitty, M., Winder, B., & Griffiths, M. D. (2012). Perceived Criminality of Cyber-Harassing Behaviors among Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom. International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL), 2(4), 49-59. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijcbpl.2012100104

Chicago

Millman, Catherine, et al. "Perceived Criminality of Cyber-Harassing Behaviors among Undergraduate Students in the United Kingdom," International Journal of Cyber Behavior, Psychology and Learning (IJCBPL) 2, no.4: 49-59. http://doi.org/10.4018/ijcbpl.2012100104

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Abstract

Whilst cyber-harassment is a criminal act within the United Kingdom, there is little research examining whether cyber-harassing behaviors are perceived as criminal. This paper assesses whether the ‘Big Five’ personality characteristics and Internet self-efficacy influence perceived criminality of cyber-harassing behaviors. The sample comprised 320 undergraduate students who completed an online survey measuring perceived criminality of 18 cyber-harassing behaviors. Principal axis factoring revealed three dimensions: malicious behavior, harassing messages, and malicious software. High Internet self-efficacious individuals (i.e., those who feel more in control of online interactions) were more likely than low Internet self-efficacious individuals to perceive malicious software as criminal. Low-agreeable individuals were more likely than high-agreeable individuals to perceive harassing messages as criminal. Whilst personality and Internet self-efficacy influenced perceived criminality for some cyber-harassing behaviors, the findings were not consistent. The paper discusses the findings and implications for future research.

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