New Australian research into online abuse is the first to examine why adults fall victim – or become cyberbullies themselves.
The study published in Psychiatry, Psychology and Law analysed 13 different risk factors across online behaviours, personality traits and behavioural patterns for cyberbullying.
The research team surveyed 264 adults to identify key characteristics of both victims and abusers.
"Cyberbullying is often viewed as confined to school settings and perceived as a youth-specific concern, and that's where much of the research has been focused in the past," said lead researcher Dr Gaelle Brotto of Bond University.
"However, another recent Australian study found close to 40 per cent of adults experienced online harm in the past year – roughly the same rates as young people.
"Current prevention efforts largely target youth populations, yet our findings underscore the need for adult-specific education and support programs."
The study revealed distinct psychological profiles for victims and perpetrators. Anger and engaging in risky online and antisocial behaviours were common traits in both groups, indicating that people with these characteristics could be predisposed to cyberbullying from either side.
Impulsivity, poor emotional regulation and low empathy were strong predictors of abusive online behaviour, while victims were likely to be emotionally sensitive and have low self-esteem.
In a surprising discovery, Dr Brotto found that cyberbullying was a vicious cycle with victims more likely to become perpetrators themselves.
"Being a victim of cyber abuse is the strongest predictor for being a perpetrator and vice versa," Dr Brotto said.
"This could be a retaliatory response to victimisation, indicating an intricate interplay between victim and offender."
The research also showed people experienced different types of online abuse depending on their age, requiring targeted approaches.
"Our findings show the importance of not treating cyber abuse as a single issue," Dr Brotto said.
"Younger adults, for example, were more likely to experience visual or sexual victimisation and social exclusion.
"Interventions addressing this type of image-based abuse would differ substantially from those needed to target verbal harassment."
Dr Brotto said the implications were crucial for legal strategies being developed to address online bullying, with approaches focused solely on punishment and deterrence likely to be less effective.
"We need more nuanced interventions that focus not only on reducing perpetration behaviours but also on equipping victims with healthier coping strategies," she said.
The research provides a roadmap for developing more effective interventions. Rather than one-size-fits-all approaches, Dr Brotto suggests programs should be tailored to address the specific psychological profiles identified in the study.
"We need targeted strategies that recognise the complex interplay between victimisation and perpetration," she said.
Dr Brotto hopes the findings will inform policymakers and platform developers as they work to create safer online environments for all age groups.