The cybercrime victim-offender overlap: exploring the psychological correlates of single and multiple victimization/offending

• In Event: Cybercrime Offenders & Victims II

Abstract

The overlap between cybercrime victims and offenders is increasingly being recognized. However, there is limited research regarding the individual factors such as personality dynamics and peer influences that can explain the victimization-offending overlap for different forms of cybercrime. Furthermore, few studies have assessed the extent to which repeat victims are likely to be repeat offenders and whether predictors of repeat victimization and repeat offending are similar. The goal of the current study is to better understand the cybercrime victim-offender overlap by focusing on the psychological correlates of single victimization/offending and multiple victimization/offending for various forms of cybercrime.
Methods and materials:
This explorative study uses a sample of 1,240 Dutch young people aged between 16 and 25. Respondents completed a survey compromising previously validated measurements. The survey screened for the most common risk factors as found in forensic populations and measured lifetime offending behaviors and victimization. Multinominal regression models were estimated to explore similarities and differences in psychological correlates of various groups of victims, offenders and victim-offenders.
Results
The results point to various groups of victims, offenders and victim-offenders. Psychological correlates such as personality dynamics and peer influences will be compared between these groups.

Authors

• Susanne van 't Hoff-de Goede, The Hague University of Applied Sciences

• Luuk Bekkers, The Hague University of Applied Sciences

• Rutger Leukfeldt, NSCR