psychological abuse in youth sports

 Jennifer Morris, MD MBA

ABPN, ABOM, ABPM-add, ISSP

Athlete abuse...it happens more commonly than what we realize. A recent study of American athletes notes over 75 % of youth athletes report abuse: psychological, physical, and sexual.

Psychological abuse is often overlooked, minimized, or accepted in athletics...both in America and worldwide. While sports participation is not always puppies and sunshine, there is a difference between even stern constructive criticism and psychological abuse. 

Psychological abuse is more than "just words."  Psychological abuse, a pattern of deliberate, prolonged, repeated non-contact behaviors within a power differential relationship,  is at the core of ALL OTHER FORMS OF ABUSE. No abuse can occur without psychological abuse, and psychological abuse is absolutely abuse.

Please hear this. All athletes have a right to engage in "safe sport." Safe sport is defined as an athletic environment that is respectful, equitable, and free from all forms of non-accidental violence to athletes. Yet, these issues represent a blind spot for many sport organizations through fear of reputational damage, ignorance, silence or collusion. The highest risk groups for abuse include our children. (Mountjoy.)

Why does this occur? Why does it continue when it occurs? Surely parents and caregivers are not purposely setting their children up for abuse. $200/hour lessons and $500 dollar bats are not intended to be vehicles for abuse. Surely coaches don't volunteer or engage in work with children in order to abuse them, though Larry Nassar certainly leads to predatorial concerns.  What is going on here?

Power differentials create an opening for abuse.  Child and adolescent athletes are particularly vulnerable due to the growth and maturation processes associated with their stage of development. Additionally, many organizations hold a philosophy of "winning at all costs." Non-contact behaviors, denial of attention and support, belittling, humiliating, shouting, scapegoating, rejecting, isolating, threatening, and ignoring may ensue, with a stated goal of growing the athlete, "toughening" the athlete, disciplining the athlete, or sending a message to the athlete/team. Ultimately, the behavior becomes normalized, and progressive.  (Alexander.) Look at the following two pictures, and consider your initial response to each...

Consider this...if I were to call a patient a name,  if I were to ignore or isolate an employee, if I were to yell at my spouse; if I were to humiliate my friends or belittle my parents...none of this would be considered acceptable. People actually seek my assistance for these concerns. If one of my children's teachers were to treat my child this way--I would be at the school in a heartbeat. However, actions which would be completely unacceptable in any other setting become normalized in sports...for our children. 

                                                                                                         (Judith Carmody)

Bystander effect extends to coaches as well as the rest of the athlete entourage. The bystander effect--passive attitudes, non-intervention, denial, or silence by people in positions of power in sport creates the impression for victims that such behaviors are legally and socially acceptable. This lead to a sense of helplessness and despair.  Bluntly, bystander effect compounds psychological trauma .Kirby SL et al. Zed Books, LTD, 2000.  Normalization of psychologically abusive coaching practices, with pervasive bystander effect, prevents disclosure and seeking of help for any form of abuse, including physical and sexual abuse. 

As psychological abuse is allowed to continue, bullying (abuse by peers) is fostered. The harm to the athlete subjected to the bullying include depression, despair, loneliness, fearfulness, and diminished self-esteem, and may lead to behaviors ranging from dropping out of sports to suicide.  Athletes report that bullying by peers is often more devastating than that perpetuated by coaches and other authority figures.  This makes sense developmentally; the psychological "job" of adolescents is peer conformity; perceived failure in this arena strikes the core of identity and sense of self. Harm to the victim's peers is less apparent but  real and wide-spread. This ranges from lack of team cohesiveness to an understanding that the environment is not safe. Fear and guilt both evolve.  The athletes understand that they may wind up on either side of the equation at any moment. This leads to athletes becoming fearful of making mistakes or trying new techniques for fear of ridicule; development becomes stunted.  It also leads to the pressure to perpetuate bullying; a vicious cycle ensues. 

The International Olympic Committee consensus statement notes  the failure of parents or care givers to meet a child's physical and emotional needs or failure to protect a child from exposure to danger is identifiable as NEGLECT.  Children are at a developmental space where they still need the "authority figures" to watch out for them, to protect them and advocate for them. When this does not occur, children lose trust in those who were meant to be their advocates. This affects them in terms of sense of safety, security, confidence, and even capacity to form attachments and relationships. Allowed to continue, psychological abuse can lead to depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. There is a 16-20% incidence of suicidal ideation related to abuse.

The impact of psychological abuse is touched upon above. Decreased athletic performance, an increased risk of injury, an increased willingness to dope or cheat and a  desire to quit sport ensue. While sport has been identified as a powerful tool to improve both physical and psychological wellness, these favorable results are negated when abuse is involved (the conversation.)  Low self esteem, disempowerment, depression, despair, suicidal thoughts, and vulnerability to additional forms of abuse are a direct outflow of athlete abuse. The impact of psychological abuse is compounded both by duration and persistence. Psychological abuse may also lead to suicide. Suicide is becoming a more significant concern.  Among NCAA athletes, suicide is second to accidents in cause of death, and has doubled among these athletes over a 20 year time period (Whelan) 

Causes of death among NCAA athletes by decade over the 20-year study period. Donut graphs comparing causes of death between the first (2002–2012) and second decade (2012–2022) of the study period. Presented as n (%). NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association; SCT, sickle cell trait. (Whelan)

Psychological abuse also has a negative impact on performance of the team. Players become fearful of making mistakes or fearful of failure; this leads to a decrease in player performance and an increase in errors and mistakes as negative mindset and anxiety impact the ability of the athlete. Psychological abuse also takes its toll on the organization. Reputation damage occurs; no-one wants to be a part of this type of organization.  Word gets out: stay away from that team. Organizational cohesiveness is dissolved as fixed mindset and negativity evolve. 

Psychological abuse takes its toll on the athlete supporters. "I willingly took my most precious gift in this world to you, and you hurt her, physically, mentally, and emotionally. And she was only 8. I will never get rid of the guilt I have about this experience."  Anne Swinehart 2018, relating to the Larry Nassar abuse. 

we do mandatory concussion training, and certainly this is critical and important. However, mandatory training regarding healthy athletic environments would have an even broader numerical impact (more kids are impacted by abuse.) Schools and organizations should provide age-appropriate training to athletes regarding recognizing and reporting (to leadership or to their entourage) coaching abuse. Organizations must offer parents information on identifying and reporting suspected coach and organization abuse. Codes of practice and athlete protection policies must be put in place, including how these are programs are evaluated and monitored. Only by speaking out and creating transparency can we create change and keep our kids safe.  "The most important thing you can do as a parent, coach or athlete is to speak up when you see or hear something inappropriate happening on the court or field. The more we openly discuss this issue, the more we can ensure that every athlete will be safe, supported and strengthened through sport."(Hanna)

Attending my young gymnast's lesson recently, I noted a prominently displayed resource poster  noting the organization's commitment to safe sport, complete with definitions, resources, and contact information. Growth is occurring, but we have growth to pursue. 

Whelan, Bridget; Stephanie Kliethermes, Kelly Schloredt, Ashwin Rao, Kimberly Harmon, Bradley Petek. Suicide in National Collegiate Athletic Association Athletes: a 20-year analysis. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/58/10/531. Published Jan, 2020. Accessed 10/24/24. 

Mountjoy, Margo; Celia Brackenridge, Malia Arrington, Cheri Blauwet, Andrea Carska-Sheppard, Kari Fasting, Sandra Kirby, Trisha Leahy, Saul Marks, Kathy Martin, Katherine Starr, Anne Tiivas, Richard Budgett. International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport. https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/17/1019. Accessed 10/25/24. 

Multiple. Abuse is widely accepte as a part of organized sports culture but it should not be tolerated. The Conversation.com. https://theconversation.com/abuse-is-widely-accepted-as-part-of-organized-sports-culture-but-it-should-not-be-tolerated-194164 published 13 Nov 2022. Accessed 10/25/234. 

Alexander, Katie. Emotional Abuse in Women's Athletics: Win at All Costs https://viragoproject.org/emotional-abuse-in-womens-athletics-win-at-all-costs/.  Published 3/6/21. Accessed 10/24/24. 

https://uscenterforsafesport.org/emotional-and-physical-abuse-in-sport/. Accessed 10/23/24. 

Hanna, Katie. Director of Education and Outreach for the U.S. Center for SafeSport. As shared in: https://kempe.org/2019/08/14/hidden-scars-a-look-at-emotional-abuse-in-sports/. Accessed 10/24/24.