Prevalence of interpersonal violence against children in sport in six European countries.

BACKGROUND: Investigating prevalence of child abuse in sport is a relatively new field of research, born from the need for credible data on this phenomenon. OBJECTIVE: To establish prevalence rates of interpersonal violence against children in sport in six European countries. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The sample (N = 10,302) consists of individuals aged 18-30 who had participated in organized sport prior to age 18 (49.3 % male, 50 % female). METHODS: A self-report questionnaire was developed (the Interpersonal Violence Against Children in Sport Questionnaire or IVACS-Q) to measure prevalence of five categories of interpersonal violence (neglect, psychological violence, physical violence, non-contact sexual violence, and contact sexual violence) against children who participate in sport. Validation testing (published separately) showed reasonable levels of convergent and divergent validity. Prevalence rates are calculated by national context, whether inside or outside sport, and by sex (male/female). RESULTS: Prevalence of IVACS inside sport differed by category: psychological violence (65 %, n = 6679), physical violence (44 %, n = 4514), neglect (37 %, n = 3796), non-contact sexual violence (35 %, n = 3565), and contact sexual violence (20 %, n = 2060). Relatively small geographical differences were found. Across all categories, males (79 %, n = 4018) reported significantly more experiences inside sport than females (71 %, n = 3653) (χ2(1) = 92.507, p < .000). Strong correlations were found between experiencing violence inside and outside sport. CONCLUSIONS: Interpersonal violence against children in sport is widespread. The sector's approach to prevention must recognize the risks to female and male children (and all children) and the additional vulnerabilities of abused children. Further comparative and longitudinal research within sport is required.

Sexual Violence and the Coach-Athlete Relationship-a Scoping Review From Sport Sociological and Sport Psychological Perspectives.

Sexual violence against athletes in elite and leisure sport has become of growing interest in recent years. In line with social media initiatives such as #SportToo and #CoachDontTouchMe and a rise in general media coverage, research in this field indicates an urgent need for action. These recent developments occasionally have led to no-touch policies, which may result in moral panic, uncertainty, and fear of unjustified suspicion among coaches. However, the role of closeness and distance in the development of sexual violence within the coach-athlete relationship has not yet been researched systematically. In this scoping review, the authors focus on the coach-athlete relationship, particularly its predispositions to sexual violence and how to prevent abusive relationships. Some characteristics typical of elite sport may predispose coaches to commit abuse, such as gender and power relations, the need for physical touch, hierarchical structures in sport, and trust and closeness between coaches and athletes. This scoping review follows an interdisciplinary approach combining sociological and psychological perspectives. It comprises 25 publications in English and German published from 2000 to 2019. The literature review highlights that closeness, power, blurred boundaries, and ambiguous roles are areas that seem to be crucial to the analysis of the coach-athlete relationship from both sociological and psychological perspectives.

Elite athletes' experiences of interpersonal violence in organized sport in Germany, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Interpersonal violence in sport occurs in different forms, from emotional abuse, overtraining, bullying, physical aggression and pressuring to punishment and sexual abuse. Due to the use of different definitions, a comparison of prevalence estimates between studies in different countries has not been possible to date. The aim of the current study was thus to present the prevalence estimates of interpersonal violence in elite sport for the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), and Germany and to examine the overlap of three types of interpersonal violence. Data from two different surveys (one in the Netherlands and Flanders and another in Germany) of a total of 1,665 elite athletes (n = 533 from the Netherlands and Flanders, n = 1,132 from Germany) were used. Athletes were asked to answer questions about their experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in the context of organized sport. In general, lifetime prevalence estimates for all three types of interpersonal violence are more than 24% in elite athletes, with the highest numbers for psychological violence. Compared to representative population samples the prevalence rate of psychological violence seems to be particularly high. Gender differences were only evident for sexual violence, with female athletes showing higher prevalence estimates than male athletes. Furthermore, a high overlap of experiences of the three different forms of interpersonal violence was found for all three countries. The differences in prevalence estimates between the three countries are discussed.

Intersections of Forced Migration and Gender in Physical Education.

Rising refugee movements have affected global society in general and the social system of sports in particular. The main structures and discourses of the sports system are also reflected in physical education (PE) at schools, which can, therefore, be regarded as an integral part of it. PE can play a significant role in the sports biographies of young people from refugee backgrounds. It is the only organizational framework of sports that all children and adolescents experience, and for many young people from refugee backgrounds it is the first and sometimes the only context in which they come into contact with sports in the host country. Consequently, PE teachers have a special opportunity to support students from refugee backgrounds in discovering their sports-related interests and to encourage them to deepen these interests outside school. Research suggests that teachers interact with learners from refugee backgrounds with stereotypical expectations for how they should behave and act. These expectations are structured along gender-specific logics, with male persons from refugee backgrounds often being classified as violent and threatening and female individuals from refugee backgrounds as fragile and oppressed. Against this background, through an interview study with 31 PE teachers from schools in Germany, we investigate teachers' perspectives on young people from refugee backgrounds. Specifically, we examine which intertwined gendered and racialized patterns of perception and interpretation become apparent when PE teachers talk about this group of students. Constructivist, intersectional, and postcolonial approaches are used to analyze the interviews and answer the research questions. The analytical screening of the interviews reveals that gendered and racialized perceptions of threat and vulnerability dominate the teachers' mindsets. Four main patterns that follow these gendered and racialized thoughts can be detected in the data material: victimization and vulnerabilization, notions of threat and impulsivity, claims for assimilation and normalization, and demands for discipline. These perceptions can influence the developmental opportunities of students from refugee backgrounds and reduce their participation and involvement in school sports and out-of-school sports contexts. Based on these results, we discuss strategies that might support (future) teachers in breaking stereotypes and overcoming narrow perceptions of young people from refugee backgrounds.