title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; University Department of Psychiatry, Campus Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vertommen
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Olympic Committee and Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSF), Arnhem, The Netherlands; Research Centre Human Movement and Education, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, Zwolle, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Nicolette
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schipper-van Veldhoven
authors.affiliation: Department of Scientific Coordination and Biostatistics, Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Kristien
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wouters
authors.affiliation: StatUA, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; Research Methodology Group, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jarl K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kampen
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Brunel University London, UK.
authors.forename: Celia H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Brackenridge
authors.affiliation: Centre for Sport, Health and Wellbeing, Brunel University London, UK.
authors.forename: Daniel J A
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Rhind
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Neels
authors.affiliation: Collaborative Antwerp Psychiatric Research Institute (CAPRI), Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium; University Department of Psychiatry, Campus Antwerp University Hospital, Antwerp, Belgium.
authors.forename: Filip
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Van Den Eede
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000069581:Exposure to Violence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D000066550:Physical Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult; D000067009:Youth Sports / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Child abuse; Harassment; Maltreatment; Organized sport; Prevalence; Unwanted behavior