This study of cyberviolence using leading criminological theories to explore why American adolescents join ongoing acts of cyberviolence concludes that an integrative theory may be valuable in understanding participation in cyberhate attacks.
This study of cyberviolence uses leading criminological theories—the general theory of crime/self-control theory, social control/bonding theory, social learning theory, and general strain theory—to explore why 15–18-year-old American adolescents join ongoing acts of cyberviolence and finds that, taken together, all four criminological theories tested help predict engagement in cyberviolence, indicating an integrative theory may be valuable in understanding participation in cyberhate attacks. Additionally, the authors examine the role of socio-demographic traits and online routines in perpetuating cyberviolence. Results of an ordinal logistic regression indicate that low self-control, online strain, closeness to online communities, and watching others engage in online attacks are associated with joining an ongoing act of cyberviolence. Moreover, an individual’s age and familial relationships are inversely related to joining an online attack.