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Experimental Evaluation of a Technology Threat Avoidance Theory-Based Cybersecurity Training Intervention
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DOI：10.1016/j.cose.2026.105097.png)
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Abstract
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This study investigates the effectiveness of a Technology Threat Avoidance Theory (TTAT)-based training intervention on cybersecurity avoidance behavior among university students. The study used a one-factor, two-treatment experimental design. A controlled pre-test/post-test experiment was conducted with two groups. The control group received non-TTAT cybersecurity awareness training (N = 161), while the experimental group received TTAT-based cybersecurity training (N = 204). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to examine the proposed relationships. The pre-test results indicated that perceived severity significantly predicted perceived threat, while response effectiveness, self-efficacy, and response cost significantly predicted avoidance motivation. However, self-efficacy was no longer a significant predictor after training. Post-test analyses showed that perceived severity significantly predicted perceived threat, while perceived threat, response effectiveness, and response cost significantly predicted avoidance motivation; avoidance motivation, in turn, predicted cybersecurity avoidance behavior. Additionally, within-group comparisons employing the Wilcoxon signed-rank test demonstrated a significant improvement in cybersecurity avoidance behavior in the experimental group (Z = −9.15, p < 0.001). The control group, by contrast, showed no statistically significant change after the control training condition (Z = −1.613, p = 0.107). Between-group comparison indicated greater improvement in the TTAT-based group than in the control group (U = 13420.50, p = 0.002). Within a sample of university-going students in Pakistan, these findings suggest that TTAT-based training may improve self-reported cybersecurity avoidance behavior by targeting cognitive and motivational factors, particularly threat perception and response effectiveness. Because the sample was demographically and culturally specific and the outcome was self-reported, the results should not be extended to employees, older adults, teenagers, or other cultural settings without further evidence.
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