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  • Association of self-reported health problems and interpersonal violence in sport: a cross-sectional study in world-level performing athletes

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Original research
Association of self-reported health problems and interpersonal violence in sport: a cross-sectional study in world-level performing athletes
  1. Margo Mountjoy1,2,
  2. Karolien Adriaens3,
  3. Astrid Junge4,
  4. Helena Verhelle3,
  5. Felien Laureys5,
  6. Sandi Kirby6,
  7. Lenka Dienstbach-Wech7,
  8. Jeremy Foster8,
  9. Tine Vertommen3,9
  1. 1 Family Medicine, McMaster University Michael G DeGroote School of Medicine, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2 Games Group, International Olympic Committee, Lausanne, Switzerland
  3. 3 Safeguarding Sport and Society, Centre of Expertise Care and Well-being, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, Antwerp, Belgium
  4. 4 Institute of Interdisciplinary Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, MSH Medical School Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany
  5. 5 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gent, Ghent, Belgium
  6. 6 Department of Sociology, University of Winnipeg, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
  7. 7 Department of Orthopaedics, Spine and Trauma Surgery, Hospital zum Heiligen Geist Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany
  8. 8 Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Lausanne, Switzerland
  9. 9 Department of Movement and Sports Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
  1. Correspondence to Professor Margo Mountjoy; mountjm{at}mcmaster.ca

Abstract

Objectives A paucity of studies assesses the intersection of physical health (injury and illness), mental health and experiences of interpersonal violence (IV, also known as harassment and abuse) in sport. The objectives of this study were to examine the (a) frequency of self-reported physical and mental health problems of elite athletes in the 12 months prior to the survey, (b) differences in physical and mental health between male and female athletes and (c) relationship of athlete health with experiences of IV.

Methods Elite adult athletes from four sports were approached at eight international events to answer an online questionnaire on their physical and mental health, as well as experiences of IV in sport within the past 12 months.

Results A total of 562 athletes completed the questionnaire. Overall, 75% reported at least one physical symptom, most commonly headache and fatigue (n=188; 33.5% each), followed by musculoskeletal symptoms (n=169; 29.4%). 65.1% reported at least one mental health symptom, mostly of anxiety or depression. More female than male athletes reported physical (F:81.9%; M:68.3%; p<0.001) and mental (F:71.9%; M:58.4%; p<0.001) health problems, while addiction problems were more frequent in male athletes (F:1.8%; M:6.4%; p=0.006. 53.0% of the female and 42.3% of the male participants reported having experienced at least one form of IV. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that all forms of IV, except physical IV (all p’s<0.001), were associated with an increasing number of physical and mental health symptoms. In addition, the analysis showed that female athletes had a higher increase in symptoms in response to IV than male athletes.

Conclusions This study demonstrates the relationship of elite athlete physical and mental health with IV. Injury and illness prevention programmes in international sport should include strategies to reduce IV.

  • Athletes
  • Sports
  • Sexual harassment
  • Sports medicine
  • Sporting injuries

Data availability statement

Data are available on reasonable request.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-109022

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    Data availability statement

    Data are available on reasonable request.

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    Footnotes

    • X @margo.mountjoy, @s.kirby@uwinnipeg.ca, @TineVertommen

    • Contributors MM and TV were responsible for project conception, coordination and survey design, assisted by SK and LD-W. FL, MM and TV for ethics application process and project coordination. MM and TV coordinated the recruitment of participants. KA, HV, FL and AJ performed the data analysis. TV, MM and AJ drafted the manuscript. JF supported project logistics. All authors were involved in interpreting results, and final approval of the manuscript for submission. The guarantor, MM, accepted full responsibility for the finished work and/or the conduct of the study, had access to the data and controlled the decision to publish.

    • Funding This project was supported by a research grant from ASOIF to McMaster University and Thomas More University of Applied Sciences.

    • Competing interests MM is a Deputy Editor of the BJSM and a member of the BJSM IPHP Editorial Board.

    • Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research. Refer to the Methods section for further details.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Supplemental material This content has been supplied by the author(s). It has not been vetted by BMJ Publishing Group Limited (BMJ) and may not have been peer-reviewed. Any opinions or recommendations discussed are solely those of the author(s) and are not endorsed by BMJ. BMJ disclaims all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on the content. Where the content includes any translated material, BMJ does not warrant the accuracy and reliability of the translations (including but not limited to local regulations, clinical guidelines, terminology, drug names and drug dosages), and is not responsible for any error and/or omissions arising from translation and adaptation or otherwise.