Online Self-Disclosure of Personal Information and Interpersonal Cybervictimization: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Online self-disclosure of personal information is widely seen as making people more attractive targets for cyber offenders. However, inconsistencies in its conceptualization and measurement have led to heterogeneous findings regarding its association with interpersonal cybervictimization. Guided by Routine Activity Theory (RAT), this meta-analysis aimed to synthesize empirical evidence on the association between online self-disclosure of personal information and interpersonal cybervictimization, and to examine the potential moderators of this relationship. A systematic search was conducted across Web of Science, PsycInfo, Scopus, EBSCOhost, and IEEE Xplore, resulting in 34 eligible studies (n = 91,620). A random-effects meta-analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between online self-disclosure and interpersonal cybervictimization (r = .20, 95% CI [0.16, 0.24], p < .001). Subgroup analyses showed that this association was stronger when self-disclosure was measured by the frequency of sharing personal information on public platforms (r = .27, I² = 97.4%) and smaller but more consistent when measured by the amount of information shared publicly (r = .16, I² = 37.71%). The strength of the association did not differ significantly across subtypes of interpersonal cybervictimization but was stronger among younger participants, non-Western samples, and students. Theoretically, this study introduces a two-dimensional framework for conceptualizing online self-disclosure of personal information—considering both content and audience—and identifies the amount of personal information shared publicly as a potentially more robust indicator of target attractiveness. The findings extend the RAT’s application to digital contexts, highlighting the need for standardized self-disclosure measures, and advocate for cybersecurity interventions in future research.