British junior elite track and field athletes’ experience of maltreatment, psychological safety, and subjective vitality
ABSTRACT In this study, we examined 1) the prevalence of maltreatment in British junior elite track and field athletes, 2) relationships between maltreatment, psychological safety, and subjective vitality, and 3) whether maltreatment is indirectly related to subjective vitality via psychological safety. Using a cross-sectional design, British junior elite track and field athletes (N = 254) completed measures of maltreatment (physical, psychological, non-contact sexual and neglect), psychological safety and subjective vitality. Results showed that nearly three-quarters experienced maltreatment in sport (74.4%). Psychological maltreatment was most frequently reported (70.5%), followed by neglect (50.8%), physical (31.5%) and non-contact sexual (24.0%). Psychological and physical maltreatment, and neglect were indirectly related to subjective vitality via psychological safety (effect size range = −0.27 to −0.11), whereas no relationship was shown between non-contact sexual maltreatment and psychological safety. In conclusion, maltreatment is prevalent in British junior elite track and field athletes and that those who experience physical and psychological maltreatment, as well as neglect, are more likely to report lower psychological safety, and in turn, lower subjective vitality. International and national organisations aiming to protect athlete well-being should target psychological safety in their safeguarding interventions by supporting and encouraging athletes to speak out about their concerns.
- Research Article
- 10.1093/jsxmed/qdaf093
- May 30, 2025
- The journal of sexual medicine
The experiences of being emotionally and physically abused by a romantic partner are associated with several deleterious outcomes including poor mental health, being sexually assaulted, and partner homicide. To explore the roles of emotional and physical abuse in relation to men's sexual functioning. The sample comprised 5642 Australian men (Mage = 45.87years, SD = 12.36) who completed Wave 4 (2022) of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health: Ten to Men (T2M). As part of the T2M survey, participants completed questions relating to physical and emotional intimate partner abuse, and the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles - Sexual Function subscale (Natsal-SF). Hierarchical binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to explore whether experiences of abuse in romantic relationships predicted the likelihood of sexual dysfunction in Australian men. The variance in sexual dysfunction explained by men's experiences of physical and emotional abuse over and above the variance explained by relevant covariates. The analyses showed that, after controlling for several covariates, physical abuse was not associated with any physio-psychological aspects of sexual dysfunction. However, emotional abuse was significantly associated with all aspects of physio-psychological functioning except for reaching climax more quickly than the man would have liked and experiencing pain as a result of sex. The results have important implications for relationship therapy and intimacy counselling, with greater awareness of how emotional abuse impacts sexual functioning providing valuable insight for men and their partners. The study used data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Male Health, which sourced data from a nationally representative sample of Australian men. A potential limitation is that individual Natsal-SF items were used in lieu of the total score, and thus the same variance may be explained in multiple analyses. The results suggest that emotional abuse is more damaging to male sexual functioning than physical abuse.
- Research Article
38
- 10.1177/1403494811425711
- Oct 26, 2011
- Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
This article addresses the under-researched area of men's experiences of abuse. The aims were to estimate prevalence of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and abuse in health care in a random sample of Swedish adult men, to compare these estimates with previously collected prevalence rates in a male clinical sample to see if prevalence rates were dependant on response rate and sampling method. We also wanted to contribute to a more general analysis of men's experiences of victimisation. Cross-sectional study design. The NorVold Abuse Questionnaire that measures the prevalence of four kinds of abuse was sent to 6000 men selected at random from the population of Östergötland, Sweden. The response rate was 50% (n = 2924). Lifetime experiences of emotional abuse were reported by 16.7%, physical abuse by 48.9%, sexual abuse by 4.5%, and abuse in health care by 7.3%. The proportion of men who currently suffered from abusive experiences was highest for emotional abuse and abuse in health care. No difference in prevalence was seen between the random population sample and the clinical sample despite significant differences regarding response rate and background characteristics. Abuse against men is prevalent and men are victimised as patients in health care. Response rate and sampling method did not influence prevalence rates of abuse. Men's victimisation from emotional abuse and abuse in health care was associated with low income and being born outside of the Nordic countries and hence needs to be analysed in the intersections of gender, class, and ethnicity.
- Research Article
12
- 10.1016/j.ptsp.2020.03.008
- Mar 31, 2020
- Physical Therapy in Sport
Eccentric hamstring strength in elite track and field athletes on the British Athletics world class performance program
- Research Article
37
- 10.1016/j.genm.2011.03.001
- Apr 1, 2011
- Gender Medicine
NorVold Abuse Questionnaire for Men (m-NorAQ): Validation of New Measures of Emotional, Physical, and Sexual Abuse and Abuse in Health Care in Male Patients
- Research Article
- 10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100273
- Dec 1, 2025
- Child Protection and Practice
Accounts about Siblings’ Experience of Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Abuse: Prevalence and Agreement in a Retrospective Study of Adult Sibling Pairs
- Research Article
73
- 10.1891/0886-6708.24.2.265
- Apr 1, 2009
- Violence and Victims
The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of and current suffering from emotional abuse (EA), physical abuse (PA), and sexual abuse (SA) and abuse in health care (AHC) among male Swedish patients and compare prevalences of abuse between female and male patients at a Swedish university hospital. For data collection we used the NorVold Abuse Questionnaire, which has been validated in a female sample and in the present study. The lifetime prevalences were EA = 12.8%, PA = 45.7%, SA = 3.8%, and AHC = 8.1%. Current suffering from abuse among participants was 1% to 9%. The women reported higher rates than men of current suffering from all kinds of abuse and more severe forms of abuse, such as life-threatening PA. Health care staff should be aware of the documented high prevalences of abuse and learn to make good judgments as to when to ask male as well as female patients about experiences of abuse.
- Research Article
42
- 10.1097/00042752-199710000-00003
- Oct 1, 1997
- Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine
To characterize spirometry and to document the incidence of exercise-induced bronchospasm (EIB) during competition in elite track and field athletes. Spirometry was performed in 120 men and 69 women athletes before competition and peak expiratory flows in 50 men and 23 women athletes before and after competition. The 1991 (Randalls Island, NY, U.S.A.) and the 1993 (Eugene, OR, U.S.A.) National Track and Field Championships (World Championship team-qualifying meet). American track and field athletes who met World Championship qualifying standards. Spirometry (Cybermedic, Inc., Boulder, CO, U.S.A.) and peak expiratory flows (Personal Best, Healthscan Products, Cedar Grove, NJ, U.S.A.)--the best of three reproducible efforts. Male sprinters had lower vital capacities than other track athletes, whereas both male and female field (throwing) athletes had larger vital capacities than both runners and other field athletes. Decreases of 10% peak expiratory flows were found in 10% of men and 26% of women track athletes within 15 min after competition. The incidence was higher in longer-distance events. Most participants did not have a history of asthma. A higher-than-expected prevalence of EIB was found in high-level track athletes. The results suggest that spirometry and/or peak flows should be measured in track athletes because small decreases in airflow may impair training or performance, a condition that is easily treated.
- Research Article
21
- 10.2466/pr0.2001.89.2.431
- Oct 1, 2001
- Psychological Reports
Based on self-reports the prevalence during childhood of psychological, physical, emotional, and ritualistic abuse among 559 high school students in Standards 7, 8, 9, and 10 of three high schools in the Mpumalanga Province of South Africa was examined. The questionnaire asked for the demographic information and experiences of psychological, physical, and emotional abuse by their parents or adult caretakers as well as ritualistic abusive experiences before they were 17 years of age plus an estimate of self-perceived abuse during childhood and an overall rating of their own childhood. Analysis showed the self-reported prevalence rates to be as follows: 70.7% psychologically abused (but 14.4% for extreme cases), 27.0% physically abused, 35.3% emotionally abused, and 10.0% ritualistically abused. 13.4% of those who reported themselves as psychologically abused, 20.7% of the physically abused, 19.3% of the emotionally abused, and 35.8% of the ritualistically abused perceive themselves as not abused in any form during childhood. Yet, of the psychologically abused 23.4%, of the physically abused 18.2%, of the emotionally abused 22.0%, and of the ritualistically abused 28.3% rated their childhood as 'very unhappy'. It appears these various forms of abuse are experienced by the participants as widespread, suggesting that a much more serious problem may exist than has been recognised. More research into those forms of child abuse in this Province and elsewhere is needed for a clear appreciation of the problems and the effects of such abuse in children's behavior.
- Research Article
375
- 10.1001/jama.280.5.433
- Aug 5, 1998
- JAMA
The majority of prior studies examining intimate partner abuse in the emergency department (ED) setting have been conducted in large, urban tertiary care settings and may not reflect the experiences of women seen at community hospital EDs, which treat the majority of ED patients in the United States. To determine the prevalence of intimate partner abuse among female patients presenting for treatment in community hospital EDs and describe their characteristics. An anonymous survey conducted from 1995 through 1997 inquiring about physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Eleven community EDs in Pennsylvania and California. All women aged 18 years or older who came to the ED during selected shifts. Reported acute trauma from abuse, past-year physical or sexual abuse, and lifetime physical or emotional abuse. Surveys were completed by 3455 (74%) of 4641 women seen. The prevalence of reported abuse by an intimate partner was 2.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7%-2.7%) for acute trauma from abuse, 14.4% (95% CI, 13.2%-15.6%) for past-year physical or sexual abuse, and 36.9% (95% CI, 35.3%-38.6%) for lifetime emotional or physical abuse. California had significantly higher reported rates of past-year physical or sexual abuse (17% vs 12%, P<.001) and lifetime abuse (44% vs 31%, P<.001) than Pennsylvania. Logistic regression modeling identified 4 risk factors for reported physical, sexual, or acute trauma from abuse within the past year: age, 18 to 39 years (odds ratio [OR], 2.2; 95% CI, 1.7-3.0); monthly income less than $1000 (OR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.3-2.1); children younger than 18 years living in the home (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.5-2.6); and ending a relationship within the past year (OR, 7.0; 95% CI, 5.5-8.9). If the prevalence of abuse in community hospitals throughout the United States is similar to the range of prevalence estimates found in this study, then heightened awareness of intimate partner abuse is warranted for patients presenting to the ED.
- Research Article
78
- 10.1136/bjsports-2020-103791
- Feb 17, 2022
- British Journal of Sports Medicine
ObjectivesThe British Athletics Muscle Injury Classification (BAMIC) correlates with return to play in muscle injury. The aim of this study was to examine hamstring injury diagnoses and outcomes within elite...
- Dissertation
- 10.58809/pjun6161
- Jan 1, 2024
Child abuse is very common in today’s society, and of great social concern. Reports indicate at least one in seven children have experienced child abuse or neglect in the past year in the United States. Further, in 2020, 1,750 children died of abuse and neglect in the United States alone. The number may be even higher since not every victim who died from abuse would have that indicated as the cause of death (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effects of physical and emotional child abuse on social functioning and help seeking behaviors in adulthood. 123 (28 male, 87 female) college students will be asked to complete The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form (CTQ-SF), The Social Functioning Scale (SFS), and the General Help-Seeking Questionnaire (GHSQ) to assess levels of emotional and physical child abuse, and social functioning and help seeking, respectively. The following results were found: (1) physical abuse did not significantly relate to social functioning, (2) emotional abuse did significantly relate to social functioning, with higher levels of abuse relating to lower levels of social function (3) physical abuse did not significantly relate to help seeking behavior, with higher levels of abuse relating to lower levels of help seeking behavior, (4) emotional abuse did significantly relate to help seeking behavior, with higher levels of abuse relating to lower levels of help seeking behavior, (5) emotional abuse did not relate to social functioning more strongly than physical abuse, no abuse, or both physical and emotional abuse, and (6) emotional abuse did not relate to help seeking behavior more strongly than physical abuse, no abuse, or both physical and emotional abuse. The study adds to previous research and fills gaps in the investigation of the effects of emotional child abuse in particular, which is not as well studied as physical abuse effects. This study can help us better understand the negative outcomes of childhood abuse in adulthood.
- Research Article
41
- 10.1177/0886260511423247
- Oct 10, 2011
- Journal of Interpersonal Violence
There is a lack of data on the prevalence of emotional abuse in youth. The aim of this study was thus to estimate the prevalence of emotional abuse in intimate partnerships among young women in rural South Africa and to measure the association between lifetime experience of emotional abuse (with and without the combined experience of physical and/or sexual abuse) and adverse health outcomes. Between 2002 and 2003, young women from 70 villages were recruited to participate in the cluster randomized controlled trial of an HIV behavioral intervention, Stepping Stones. Data was obtained through the administration of a questionnaire at baseline. Of the 1,293 women who had ever been partnered, 189 (14.6%) had experienced only emotional abuse in their lifetimes. Three hundred sixty-six women (28.3%) experienced emotional abuse with physical and/or sexual abuse in their lifetimes, and one hundred forty-four women (11.1%) experienced physical and/or sexual abuse without emotional abuse. Hazardous drinking was associated with the experience of physical and/or sexual abuse, with (OR 6.0, 95% CI [1.0, 36.6]) and without emotional abuse (OR 5.8, 95% CI [1.1, 29.4]). Illicit drug use (OR 5.6, 95% CI [2.4, 12.6]), having depressive symptoms (OR 2.9, 95% CI [1.2, 4.2]), having psychological distress (OR 1.9, 95% CI [1.4, 2.6]), and suicidality (OR 79.0, 95% CI [17.3, 359.6]) was associated with the experience of emotional abuse with physical and/or sexual abuse. Suicidality was also strongly associated with having experienced emotional abuse alone (OR 79.5, 95% CI [16.7, 377.4]). This study showed that emotionally abused young women had a greater risk of suicidality than those experiencing no abuse and that the combined experience of emotional with physical and/or sexual abuse was strongly associated with poor mental health outcomes.
- Research Article
227
- 10.1176/ajp.151.8.1122
- Aug 1, 1994
- American Journal of Psychiatry
This study sought to determine if rates of childhood sexual, physical, psychological, and multiple abuse (i.e., abuse in more than one form) differed between women with a lifetime history of bulimia nervosa and women with no history of eating disorders. Subjects were 80 women, aged 18-35, with a lifetime history of bulimia nervosa (40 women who had recovered for a year or more and 40 women currently suffering from bulimia nervosa) and 40 women who had never had an eating disorder or related difficulties. The cohort was obtained primarily by newspaper advertisement. Subjects participated in structured diagnostic interviews and completed paper-and-pencil questionnaires related to abusive experiences in childhood. Women in the bulimia nervosa group reported higher levels of childhood physical, psychological, and multiple abuse. Contrary to expectation, rates of sexual abuse did not distinguish the groups, except in combination with other forms of abuse. The higher rates of psychological, physical, and multiple abuse found among women with a lifetime history of bulimia nervosa than among comparison subjects underscore the importance of examining the full range of possible abusive experiences in women with eating disorders, rather than focusing simply on sexual abuse.
- Research Article
4
- 10.1080/j.0001-6349.2004.0222.x
- Jan 1, 2004
- Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
Background. The aims of the present study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and abuse in the health care system, and 2) to study the associations between prevalence of abuse and sociodemographic and sample variables. Methods. This cross-sectional study used a validated postal questionnaire in four Swedish samples; patients at three gynecologic clinics with different character and in different regions (n = 2439) and women in one randomized population sample (n = 1168). Results. Any lifetime emotional abuse was reported by 16.8–21.4% of the women; physical abuse by 32.1–37.5%; sexual abuse by 15.9–17.0%; and abuse in the health care system by 14.0–19.7%. For 7–8% abuse had included life threats and 9–20% of all women in the study currently suffered from their experiences of abuse. Most women had not disclosed their background of abuse to the gynecologist. There were differences in sociodemographic variables between the four samples. Generally, in the multivariate analyses we found associations between prevalence of abuse and age, educational level, civil status and occupation, but no consistent association between prevalence of abuse and sample variables. Conclusion. Lifetime prevalence rates of the four kinds of abuse were high in all samples as measured by the NorVold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAQ), and 1/10–1/5 women in the study suffered currently from abusive experiences. In multivariate analyses prevalence of abuse was consistently associated with sociodemographic but not to sample variables.
- Research Article
52
- 10.1111/j.0001-6349.2004.0222.x
- Feb 16, 2004
- Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica
The aims of the present study were: 1) to estimate the prevalence of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and abuse in the health care system, and 2) to study the associations between prevalence of abuse and sociodemographic and sample variables. This cross-sectional study used a validated postal questionnaire in four Swedish samples; patients at three gynecologic clinics with different character and in different regions (n = 2439) and women in one randomized population sample (n = 1168). Any lifetime emotional abuse was reported by 16.8-21.4% of the women; physical abuse by 32.1-37.5%; sexual abuse by 15.9-17.0%; and abuse in the health care system by 14.0-19.7%. For 7-8% abuse had included life threats and 9-20% of all women in the study currently suffered from their experiences of abuse. Most women had not disclosed their background of abuse to the gynecologist. There were differences in sociodemographic variables between the four samples. Generally, in the multivariate analyses we found associations between prevalence of abuse and age, educational level, civil status and occupation, but no consistent association between prevalence of abuse and sample variables. Lifetime prevalence rates of the four kinds of abuse were high in all samples as measured by the NorVold Abuse Questionnaire (NorAQ), and 1/10-1/5 women in the study suffered currently from abusive experiences. In multivariate analyses prevalence of abuse was consistently associated with sociodemographic but not to sample variables.