Interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium

Abstract

The current article reports on the first large-scale prevalence study on interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Using a dedicated online questionnaire, over 4,000 adults prescreened on having participated in organized sport before the age of 18 were surveyed with respect to their experiences with childhood psychological, physical, and sexual violence while playing sports. Being the first of its kind in the Netherlands and Belgium, our study has a sufficiently large sample taken from the general population, with a balanced gender ratio and wide variety in socio-demographic characteristics. The survey showed that 38% of all respondents reported experiences with psychological violence, 11% with physical violence, and 14% with sexual violence. Ethnic minority, lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) and disabled athletes, and those competing at the international level report significantly more experiences of interpersonal violence in sport. The results are consistent with rates obtained outside sport, underscoring the need for more research on interventions and systematic follow-ups, to minimize these negative experiences in youth sport.

The Characteristics of Coaches that Verbally or Physically Abuse Young Athletes

“…There are a few reports on the prevalence of the physical abuse of children and adolescents in sports activities (Stafford et al 2013;Vertommen et al 2016Vertommen et al , 2017. Stafford et al (2013) assessed it using an online survey of young people (aged 18-22 years) and reported that 55% of the participants had experienced physical abuse by their coaches or teammates at least once as a child.…”

“…Stafford et al (2013) assessed it using an online survey of young people (aged 18-22 years) and reported that 55% of the participants had experienced physical abuse by their coaches or teammates at least once as a child. Using an online survey of adults, Vertommen et al (2016) reported that 11% of the participants had experienced physical violence when they were young (before age 18), and that 43% of this violence was committed by their coaches. The prevalence of the physical abuse of young athletes in this study, as perpetuated by their coaches, was 6.2%, which could be lower than the results of previous reports because this was the prevalence of physical abuse at the time of this survey (Stafford et al 2013;Vertommen et al 2016).…”

“…Harassment and abuse are generally defined as intimidating behavior against someone weaker or less powerful (Swigonski et al 2014). The coach-athlete relationship is a focal point because the two have an asymmetrical power relationship (Vertommen et al 2016). The International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement documented that "all athletes have a right to engage in "safe sport": an athletic environment that is respectful, equitable, and free from all forms of non-accidental violence to athletes" (Mountjoy et al 2016).…”

“…Compared to sexual harassment, far less attention has been paid to verbal and physical abuse to young athletes (Vertommen et al 2017). However, verbal abuse remains a common aspect of coaching, and physical abuse is a negative aspect of coaching in sports (Swigonski et al 2014;Vertommen et al 2016). To prevent and eradicate abuse against young athletes, it is important to know the characteristics of abusive coaches.…”

Abstracts of the International Congress of Research Center in Sports Sciences, Health Sciences & Human Development (2016)

“…Bullying in sport has particular characteristics (Escury & Dudink, 2010), there are risk factors for victimization (Vertommen, et. al.…”