Cybersecurity behaviour among consumers in Klang Valley Malaysia: the mediating role of cyber threat avoidance motivation

Cybersecurity behavioural study is a critical domain in the field of cyberpsychology in addressing human psychological factors upon encountering cyber threats. This study investigates the significant mediating role of cyber threat avoidance motivation by integrating the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT) and Focus Theory of Normative Conduct (FTNC). Data were collected from 408 consumers in Klang Valley, Malaysia, and analysed using AMOS 29.0 for structural equation modelling. Empirical findings determined that cyber threat avoidance motivation posits a mediation effect for attitude towards cybersecurity, perceived control, perceived threat and perceived cybersecurity effectiveness in predicting cybersecurity behaviour. The proposed structural model portrays 74.4% of the total variance in cybersecurity behaviour. These results advance cybersecurity behavioural research by offering theoretical insights and practical recommendations to enhance security practices.