From Victim to Perpetrator: Understanding Motivational Pathways to Cyberhate Among Ukrainian Adolescents in the Context of War

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Peace education in conflict-affected and divided societies

Proposal

This study examines the psychological links underlying cyberhate perpetration among Ukrainian adolescents, contributing to discourse on digital citizenship and online aggression in a war affected contexts Grounded in the general aggression model, social identity theory, and social cognitive theory, we investigated how cyberbullying victimization is linked to cyberhate perpetration through distinct motivational pathways revenge and proactive aggression. Using structural equation modeling with survey data from 4,149 Ukrainian adolescents (ages 10–25), we found that cyberbullying victimization significantly predicted cyberhate perpetration, with revenge motivation serving as the primary mediating mechanism. While proactive motivation was correlated with victimization experiences, it did not directly predict cyberhate behaviors. This suggests that reactive rather than instrumental forms of aggression primarily drive online hate in this population. Based on these findings, we discuss implications for interventions aimed at educators and policymakers seeking to foster more inclusive digital environments. The strong role of revenge motivation underscores the cyclical nature of online aggression and highlights the importance of restorative and preventive approaches to cyberbullying. In Ukraine’s unique sociopolitical context, these findings demonstrate how experiences of victimization can escalate into wider patterns of online hostility, providing critical insights for comparative research on digital aggression in conflict-affected societies. This study advances theoretical understanding of the motivational dynamics behind cyberhate and offers evidence-based recommendations for developing culturally responsive digital citizenship curricula. It also highlights the necessity of cross-national collaboration in promoting online safety education. By examining cyberhate in war-torn Ukraine, the study shows how education systems can serve as agents of peace in increasingly polarized digital environments, contributing to the design of reconciliation-oriented approaches to digital citizenship education.

Authors

• Julia Levin, University of Hamburg

• Marianna Todorova

• Svitlana Khadzhyradieva, State University of Intelligent Technologies and Telecommunications