Journal of Advances in Para-Sport Science
A peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to the advancement of sports sciences for individuals with diverse abilities

Experiences of Retired Professional Female Athletes of Emotional Abuse by their Coaches in Mashhad

Authors

fatemeh bidi 1
mohammad vaezmousavi 2
reza aminzadeh 3

1 Master student of sport psychology, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran.

2 Professor in sport psychology, Imam Hossein University, Tehran, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor Sport psychology, Imam Reza International University, Mashhad, Iran.

Abstract
the present study investigates the prevalence of emotional abuse among professional athletes by their coach in Mashhad city of Iran.
the current study is applied research, about 40 professional retired athletes have participated voluntarily in individual sports (swimming and martial arts) and team sports (handball and basketball). The semi-structured interviews were used to gather the data and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
the results have shown that about 70 percent of participants have experienced various emotional abuse by their coach over years of playing professional sports and the maximal statistics belonged to criticism and reproach variables but just a few of them had reacted to their coach emotional abuse that entailed concentration disorders, performance and motivation decline, and ability obtainment issues.
the results have shown that a high percent of athletes have experienced emotional abuse by their coach that encompassed many psychological and performing damages. Therefore, it is needed to train athletes’ preventable and resistant methods and the way of conveying these offensive behaviors to officials in order to reduce the damages of applied emotional abuse at athletes.

Keywords

Keywords: emotional abuse
Concentration
Motivation
Function
Normalization
Work ethics
1. Saffari, L., Jafari, A. (1397). The model of power sources and the coaches’ abuses and increasing top sports women relationship. Sports management (movement), 10 (2), 401-414
2. Sarkalai, F. (1401). The prevalence of emotional abuse among semi-professional male soccer players in Mazandaran province, Master Thesis, Mazandaran physical education collage
3. LoGuercio, M. (2022). Exploring Lived Experience of Abusive Behavior among Youth Hockey Coaches. Journal of Sports and Physical Education Studies, 2(2), 01–12.

4. Kirby, S. L., Greaves, L., & Hankivsky, O. (2000). The dome of silence: Sexual harassment and abuse in sport. Halifax, Canada: Fernwood.

5. RayatSarokolaei F, Vaezmousavi M, Memarmoghaddam M. The Prevalence of Emotional Abuse among Adolescent Male Football Players. HASES 2022; 2 (2):201-211.

6. Gupilan, M. (2017) Abusive behavior in sport: When does a coach cross the Line? A synthesis of the research literature.

7. Stirling, A. E., & Kerr, G. A. (2008). Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport. European Journal of Sport Science, 8(4), 173–181.

8. Alexander, K., Stafford, A., & Lewis, R. (2011). The Experiences of Children Participating in Organised Sport in the UK. NSPCC.

9. Strand, Bradford. (2021). Athletes’ and Coaches’ Impressions of Questionable Coaching Practices and Bullying (Emotional Abuse). ATHENS JOURNAL OF SPORTS. 8. 231-246. Xin Yang, S.

10. Dietz, Colin M, MA; Casey, Shannon L, PhD; Stirling, Ashley E, PhD; Porter, Natalie, PhD.  Athletic Insight; Hauppauge Vol. 7, Iss. 3, (2015): 209-226.

11. Kerr, G., Willson, E., & Stirling, A. (2020). “It Was the Worst Time in My Life”: The Effects of Emotionally Abusive Coaching on Female Canadian National Team Athletes. Women in Sport and Physical Activity Journal, 28(1), 81-89. Retrieved Dec 19, 2023, from https://doi.org/10.1123/wspaj.2019-0054.

12. Stirling, A. E., & Kerr, G. A. (2008). Defining and categorizing emotional abuse in sport. European Journal of Sport Science, 8(4), 173–181.

13. Gretchen A. Kerr & Ashley E. Stirling ashley.stirling@utoronto.ca (2012) Parents’ Reflections on their Child's Experiences of Emotionally Abusive Coaching Practices, Journal of Applied Sport Psychology, 24:2, 191-206, DOI: 10.1080/10413200.2011.608413.

14. Gervis, Misia & Dunn, Nicola. (2004). The Emotional Abuse of Elite Child Athletes by their Coaches. Child Abuse Review. 13. 215 - 223. 10.1002/car.843.

15. Ashley E. Stirling ashley.stirling@utoronto.ca & Gretchen A. Kerr (2009) Abused athletes' perceptions of the coach-athlete relationship, Sport in Society, 12:2, 227-239, DOI: 10.1080/17430430802591019.

16. Battaglia, Anthony Vincent) .2015 (. Youth athlete’s interpretations of punishment in hockey. Theses master’s theses. School of graduate studies. 2015-11-21T05:10:31Z.

17. Tomlinson, P., & Strachan, D. (1996). Power and ethics in coaching. National Coaching.

18. Ryan, G. D., & Lane, S. L. (1997). Juvenile sexual offending: Causes, consequences, and correction. San Francisco, CA, US: Jossey-Bass.

19. Kirby, S., Demers, G. (2013). Sexual Harassment and Abuse in Sport. In: Roper, E.A. (Eds) Gender Relations in Sport. Teaching Gender. Sense Publishers, Rotterdam. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6209-455-0_8.
Journal of Advances in Para-Sport Science
Volume 3, Issue 4
December 2023
Pages 554-568